Forbes has released its list of the Most Powerful Women of 2015, and these quotes from the top 25 women will inspire and empower you. (Note: This list counts down from No. 25 to No. 1.)
Angela Ahrendts
“I don’t want to be a great executive without being a great mom and a great wife. I don’t want to look back and say I wish I had done things differently. ‘Balance’ is a really big word for me.” — Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president, Apple
Safra Catz
“Netweaver was going to be the number one middleware player in the world. We heard about Netweaver day and night. Oracle became number one. No one talks about Netweaver.” — Safra Catz, co-CEO, Oracle, United States
Helen Clark
“Girls can do anything. We do do anything and we expect to be treated as equals.” — Helen Clark, administrator, United Nations Development Programme, New Zealand
Marissa Mayer
“Get in over your head. That’s how you grow and learn and stretch yourself.” — Marissa Mayer, CEO, Yahoo
Beyoncé Knowles
“Perfection is the disease of a nation… you can’t fix what you can’t see. It’s the soul that needs the surgery.” — Beyoncé Knowles, entertainer and entrepreneur
Marillyn Hewson
“I don’t think it’s necessarily about being female in our business. I think it’s about… my track record, my results.” — Marillyn Hewson, chairwoman, Lockheed Martin, United States
Abigail Johnson
“No matter how senior you get in an organization, no matter how well you’re perceived to be doing, your job is never done. Every day, you get up and the world is changing; your customers are expecting more from you. Your competitors are putting pressure on you by doing more and trying to beat you here and beat you there.” — Abigail Johnson, CEO, Fidelity Investments, United States
Ana Botin
“To grow, we need to be able to take on risk. No risk, no growth.” — Ana Botin, chairman, Banco Santander, Spain
Irene Rosenfeld
“The most important role of a leader is to set a clear direction, be transparent about how to get there and to stay the course.” — Irene Rosenfeld, CEO, Mondelez, United States
Cristina Kirchner
“I bring a lot of passion to my life and my politics — I don’t mind saying there is a very strong Latin component to it.” — Cristina Kirchner, president, Argentina
Indra Nooyi
“When you assume negative intent, you’re angry. If you take away that anger and assume positive intent, you will be amazed. Your emotional quotient goes up because you are no longer almost random in your response.” — Indra Nooyi, CEO, PepsiCo, United States
Meg Whitman
“The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of a mistake.” — Meg Whitman, CEO, HP
Virginia Rometty
“Growth and comfort do not coexist.” — Virginia Rometty, CEO, IBM
Oprah Winfrey
“Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.” — Oprah Winfrey, media mogul
Geun-hye Park
“I have no child to inherit my properties. You, the people, are my only family, and to make you happy is the reason I do politics.” — Geun-hye Park, president, South Korea
Michelle Obama
“Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” — Michelle Obama, first lady, United States
Susan Wojcicki
“Work smart. Get things done. No-nonsense. Move fast.” — Susan Wojcicki, CEO, YouTube
Sheryl Sandberg
“I want every little girl who’s told she’s bossy to instead be told she has leadership skills.” — Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Dilma Rousseff
“I hope the fathers and mothers of little girls will look at them and say, ‘Yes, women can.'” — Dilma Rousseff, president, Brazil
Christine Lagarde
“When women do better, economies do better.” — Christine Lagarde, managing director, International Monetary Fund, France
Mary Barra
“Whatever you decide to do, do it with passion and all of the energy that you have.” — Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
Janet Yellen
“Inequality has risen to the point that it seems to me worthwhile for the U.S. to seriously consider taking the risk of making our economy more rewarding for more of the people.” — Janet Yellen, chairwoman, Federal Reserve Bank
Melinda Gates
“I don’t want to live in a world that doesn’t let the other half of us do what we ought to do in life.” — Melinda Gates, cochairwoman, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Hillary Clinton
“I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century.” — Hillary Clinton, presidential candidate, United States
Angela Merkel
“I never underestimate myself and I never saw anything wrong with ambition.” — Angela Merkel, chancellor, Germany
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