25 Empowering Celebrity Quotes That Will Inspire You

When we're feeling down or defeated, there's nothing quite like a quote, or series of quotes, to pick us back up. Quotes by others can inspire us, motivate us, and even empower us to think and do things differently. In fact, there's a science that explains why certain quotes have such an impact on us and our mood.

"There's a little bit of implicit coaching that's happening when you're reading [motivational sayings]," psychologist and motivation expert Jonathan Fader, PhD tells Fast Company. "It's building that self-efficacy in that kind of dialogue that you're having with yourself."

Because we all deserve to feel empowered every minute of every day, we've compiled some very powerful quotes that will make you feel like you can conquer the world. From Cameron Diaz's take on how important a broken heart is to Taylor Swift's two cents on the essentialism of self-love, these 30 quotes will serve up all the empowerment you'll ever need. 

• "A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none." — Marilyn Monroe
• "Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore." — Lady Gaga
• "Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." — Gloria Steinem
• "People think at the end of the day that a man is the only answer [to fulfillment]. Actually a job is better for me." — Princess Diana
• "There's something so special about a woman who dominates in a man's world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer." — Rihanna

• "My hope for the future, not just in the music industry, but in every young girl I meet, is that they all realize their worth and ask for it." — Taylor Swift
• "Women need a seat at the table, they need an invitation to be seated there, and in some cases, where this is not available, they need to create their own table." — Meghan Markle
• "We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead." — Beyoncé
• "No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half its citizens." — Michelle Obama
• "They'll tell you you're too loud, that you need to wait your turn and ask the right people for permission. Do it anyway." — Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

• "Women are brainwashed into feeling like we have to be skinny or sexy or desirable or perfect. One of the many things I was tired of was the constant judgment of women." — Alicia Keys
• "Perfect is boring: Beauty is irregular." — Gloria Steinem
• "I think it's ridiculous that you need to look a certain way to be conventionally pretty." — Kristen Stewart
• "In diversity there is beauty and there is strength." — Maya Angelou
• "I am a woman with thoughts and questions and sh*t to say. I say if I'm beautiful. I say if I'm strong. You will not determine my story—I will." — Amy Schumer

• "I would rather have my heart broken a thousand times than never to love at all."— Cameron Diaz
• "Take your broken heart, make it into art." — Carrie Fisher
• "Don't worry about vulnerability. You can and will hurt many times, but the hurt can't really hurt you. Getting behind the hurt, using it to 'power' you to your next project can even make you more successful." — Helen Gurley Brown
• "Continue to share your heart with people even if it has been broken." — Amy Poehler
• "This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something." — Elizabeth Gilbert

• "I don't need marriage. I don't need anyone to take care of all my needs and desires. I can take care of them myself now." — Mindy Kaling
• "First and foremost, self-love, and then give love away." — Katy Perry
• "The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you whom you love, well, that's just fabulous." — Carrie Bradshaw
• "She lost him, but she found herself, and somehow that was everything." — Taylor Swift
• "I think in life you should work on yourself until the day you die." — Serena Williams

• "We are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We don't need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own 'happily ever after' for ourselves. — Jennifer Aniston
• "Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo. But you want someone who'll help you catch the bus." — Oprah Winfrey
• "You think he belongs to you because you want to belong to him. Don't. It's a bad word, 'belong.' Especially when you put it with somebody you love. Love shouldn't be like that." — Toni Morrison
• "Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He is very dreamy, but is not the sun. You are." — Shonda Rhimes
• "If you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it. I had a life partner who thought my work was as important as his, and I think that made all the difference for me." — Ruth Bader Ginsburg