Seems Impossible, Done, Nelson Mandela

“It always seems impossible until it's done.” - Nelson Mandela

Found in Parade Magazine at https://parade.com/1074913/kelseypelzer/nelson-mandela-quotes/.

Idiot, Member of Congress, Mark Twain

"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself." - Mark Twain

Found on BrainyQuote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mark_twain_161288.

Want the Rainbow, Put Up with the Rain, Dolly Parton

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” - Dolly Parton

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 124.

Anti-Feminist Institutions, Dresses, Flo Kennedy

“It is interesting to speculate how it developed that in two of the most anti-feminist institutions, the church and the law court, the men are wearing dresses.” - Flo Kennedy

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 36.

Women's Clubs, Raise More Hell, Fewer Dahlias, James McNeill Whistler

"My advice to the women's clubs of America is to raise more hell and fewer dahlias." - James McNeill Whistler

Found at https://quote.biz/list/quotes-by-james-mcneill-whistler.

Real Courage, Gun, Licked Before You Begin, Atticus Finch, Harper Lee

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." - (Atticus Finch) ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Found on Goodreads, at https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3275794-to-kill-a-mockingbird.

Old Age, Sissies, Bette Davis

“Old age ain't no place for sissies.” - Bette Davis

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 74.

Nation, Made Strong, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"We are a nation made strong by people like you." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, To new citizens at a naturalization ceremony

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html.

Get Busy, Living, Dying, Stephen King, Different Seasons

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” ― Stephen King, Different Seasons

Found on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3389.Stephen_King.

Born a Woman, Drag Queen, Dolly Parton

“It's a good thing that I was born a woman, or I'd have been a drag queen.” - Dolly Parton, rags-to-riches country music mogul.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 21.

Blondes, Gentlemen, Mamie Van Doren

“It is possible that blondes also prefer gentlemen.” - Mamie Van Doren

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 78.

Good Leader, Debate, Nelson Mandela

“A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don't have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.” ― Nelson Mandela

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/367338.Nelson_Mandela?page=8.

A Little Deaf, Workplace, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“It helps sometimes to be a little deaf (in marriage and in) every workplace, including the good job I have now.” - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, about marriage and work

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html.

Understand, Care, Help, Saved, Jane Goodall

“Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help. Only if we help, we shall be saved.” ― Jane Goodall, Jane Goodall: 40 Years at Gombe

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/18163.Jane_Goodall.

Amateurs, Inspiration, Go to Work, Stephen King

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Found on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3389.Stephen_King.

System of Oppression, Institutionalized, Florynce Kennedy

"When a system of oppression has become institutionalized it is unnecessary for individuals to be oppressive." - Florynce Kennedy

Found on Brainyquote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/florynce_kennedy_397337.

Hear You, Scream, Stephanie Powers

“Unfortunately, sometimes people don't hear you until you scream.” - Stephanie Powers

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 16.

Comedy, Tragedy, Humor, Truth, Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner

“Comedy is tragedy, plus time.” - Carol Burnett

“Humor is just truth, only faster.” - Gilda Radner

Both of these quotes were found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 54.

In Germany, Communists, Jews, Catholics, Protestant, Martin Niemoller

"In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me." - Martin Niemoller, 1945 (WW1 war hero & U Boat Captain, WW2 pastor who spent 7 years in Nazi prisons).

This is one variant of the quote by Martin Niemoller. Variations include trade unionists, social democrats, and others. We are now observing orders in the U.S. aimed at Muslims, with the false idea that all Muslims are terrorists - an idea as wrong as the idea that "all blacks are bad", "all blonds are dumb", "all ____ are _____."

You can view this and some of the variants at https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Niemöller, or Google Martin Niemoller for more links.

Slavery, Colonialism, Women's Inequality, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

“Just as slavery and colonialism were a stain on previous centuries, women’s inequality should shame us all in the 21st. Because it is not only unacceptable; it is stupid.” - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, condemning the patriarchy in a speech on women and power.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Spring 2020, page 6.

Education, Powerful Weapon, Nelson Mandela

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela

Found in Parade Magazine at https://parade.com/1074913/kelseypelzer/nelson-mandela-quotes/.

Real Change, Enduring Change, One Step at a Time, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Found on The Today Show at https://www.today.com/news/ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-20-inspiring-ideas-rbg-t192057r.

Greatest Danger, Apathy, Jane Goodall

“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” ― Jane Goodall

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/18163.Jane_Goodall.

Most Powerful Woman, Certain Element of Misogyny, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

“Every time I get introduced as the most powerful woman, I almost cry, because I wish that were not true. I so wish that we had a woman president of the United States, and we came very close to doing that. ...I do think there’s a certain element of misogyny.” - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-raning woman ever to serve in the U.S. government, speaking at her weekly news conference after Sen. Elizabeth Warren ended her presidential bid.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Spring 2020, page 6.

Never Normalize the Ending of Democracy, Tyranny, White Supremacy, Patriarch, Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Tennessee

“We can never normalize the ending of democracy. We can never normalize the tyranny of the way that these people in positions of power are operating due to white supremacy and … the patriarchy. That is what we’re up against.” - Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson (D), On being expelled from the Legislature by the House’s Republican supermajority for joining a chant with gun violence protesters in the capitol in late March, following a mass shooting at a Nashville School three days prior. Found in Ms. Magazine page 6, Summer 2023.

“It might have to do with the color of our skin.” - Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson (D), answering why she was spared from expulsion from the Legislature while Reps. Pearson and Justin Jones (D) were not. Found in Ms. Magazine page 6, Summer 2023.

Pearson and Jones, who are African American, were expelled from the Tennessee state legislature on April 6, 2023, while Johnson, who is white, wasn't expelled. (Both men were reinstated four months later. Right on!)

Pipelines to Leadership, Universities, Racially DIverse, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan

“These are the pipelines to leadership in our society. And if universities aren’t racially diverse, then all of those institutions are not going to be racially diverse either. ...I thought that part of what it meant to be an American and to believe in American pluralism is that actually our institutions are reflective of who we are as a people in all our variety.” - Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan,in oral arguments over the constitutionality of race-abased affirmative action in college admissions.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2023, page 6.

Let-Them-Eat-Cake Obliviousness, Colorblindness, Irrelevant in Law, Life, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

“With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. ...The only way out of this morass – for all of us – is to stare at racial disparity unblinkingly, and then do what evidence and experts tell us is required to level the playing field and march forward together, collectively striving to achieve true equality for all Americans.” - Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissenting to the Supreme Court’s majority ruling prohibiting the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2023, page 6.

Courage, Absence of Fear, Triumph, Brave Man, Conquers That Fear, Nelson Mandela

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, activist

Found in Quotes to Live By: Words That Inspire Those Who Inspire Us, by by F+W Media, Inc., page 9.

Beauty of the Earth, Reserves of Strength, Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Found in Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15332.Rachel_Carson.

Woman's Life, Dignity, Decision, Less Than a Fully Adult Human, Choices, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"This is something central to a woman's life, to her dignity. It's a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she's being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on support for abortion rights

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html.