15 Empowering Quotes for Women Who Create, Fall Apart, and Try Again
There’s a moment in almost every creative woman’s journey when the world feels too loud. When expectations stack up. When we start questioning whether our voice is strong enough. Whether our work is “serious” enough. Whether we’re allowed to take up space without apologizing for it first.
That’s usually when I return to words that remind me of who I am or who I want to become. I’ve never felt at home in the idea of what a woman should be. How we’re supposed to look, act, speak, design, or move through the world. A lot of my illustration work comes from that quiet refusal, a minimalist answer to an overwhelming culture. A reminder, through line and form, that softness can be power. That simplicity can be sharp. That feminine strength doesn’t need volume to exist.
These quotes have helped me stay grounded in that belief.
They don’t tell you who to be.
They recognize who you already are. Honest, empowering, and without fluff – because the world doesn’t need more of that.
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
— Oscar Wilde
“Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.”
— Serena Williams
“Confidence is 10% hard work and 90% delusion.”
— Tina Fey
“A girl should be two things: Who and what she wants.”
— Coco Chanel
“Where there is a woman, there is magic.”
— Ntozake Shange
“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.”
— Michelle Obama
“Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.”
— Stephanie Bennett-Henry
“Stop breaking yourself down into bite-sized pieces. Stay whole and let them choke.”
— Florence Given
“I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life.”
— Maya Angelou
“The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.”
— Robert Hughes
“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it’s right.”
— Rosa Parks
“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’”
— Audrey Hepburn
“A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult.”
— Melinda Gates
“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”
— Estée Lauder
“I am my own muse. I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to better.”
— Frida Kahlo
I LET THESE QUOTES BECOME MY TEMPORARY MANTRAS – SOMETIMES RETURNING, SOMETIMES JUST PASSING THROUGH.
I wish I could tell you I turn them into beautiful lettering art. But I’m not a lettering artist. So I just let them appear when they need to – quietly, intuitively. Some stay with me for a while. Some disappear, only to return in a different season of my life. And if things get really bad, I write them on my mirror, just to see them every day.
I come back to them when I need grounding. They’ve taught me that empowerment doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, it sounds like a sentence that feels like home. If you’re creating something, building something, becoming something or simply trying your best while googling how to “stay motivated” for the tenth time this week – remember this:
Strength doesn’t come from a quote. It comes from within.
Still, I hope these words remind you that you’re allowed to take up space in the way only you can.
Share them. Print them. Pin them.
Return to them on the days when life feels a little too loud.
You’re not alone in this.
I’m rooting for you, always.
"No quote is going to fix your life. You have the power to create your life all along."
— Sandra Staub
LET’S STAY CONNECTED
I love turning words like these into illustrations that speak softly but say a lot. If this post resonated with you:
📌 Pinterest → @sanstaub for visual storytelling & resources
📷 Instagram → @sandra.staub for process, sketches & quiet visuals
🌟 Patreon → for exclusive art and behind-the-scenes work
And if you ever want to create your own illustrated quote, let this post be your starting point.
You already have everything you need.
