Michelle Obama

Success isn’t about how your life looks to others. It’s about how it feels to you. We realized that being successful isn’t about being impressive, it’s about being inspired. That’s what it means to be true to yourself.

I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women playing with their dogs on the White House lawn.

On Oct. 3, 1992, Barack and I were married in Chicago – and every day since, I’ve grown prouder and more in love with him.

I have had to learn that my voice has value. And if I don’t use it, what’s the point of being in the room?

No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, you are beautiful.

We can never be complacent and think that we’ve arrived now as women. Because I hear this from young women. Some of you young women who aren’t feeling the pains that many of our predecessors have felt – you think, well, there aren’t any problems, women’s rights, we’ve got this all figured out, I’m already equal, I’m good – I’m just like, oh, just you wait, you’ll feel it. So the work continues.

Strong men, men who are truly role models, don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful.

First of all, as a card-carrying feminist, I am a BIG feminist, anytime I see women being stars – the stars that they should be, and being featured, and being highlighted, it makes my heart happy. Because it’s long overdue.

Being a strong woman is very important to me. But doing it all on my own is not.

I will be phenomenal to the women. I mean, I want to help women.

The first thing about empowerment is to understand that you have the right to be involved. The second one is that you have something important to contribute. And the third piece is that you have to take the risk to contribute it.

I wish that girls could fail as bad as men do and be okay.

I’m usually good about my temper, but all these men trying to control women’s bodies are really beginning to piss me off.

The argument that ‘boys will be boys’ actually carries the profoundly anti-male implication that we should expect bad behaviors from boys and men. The assumption is that they are somehow not capable of acting appropriately, or treating girls and women with respect.

Girls should never be afraid to be smart.

I’m definitely a feminist. I’m f*cking disgusted by the way women are still treated.

Woman is the dominant sex. Men have to do all sorts of stuff to prove they are worthy of a woman’s attention.

I’m a liability to them – I’m a woman, I’m empowered, I’m an artist. I’ve had executives who can’t come to my shows they’re so scared of me. I’ve been a thorn in many people’s sides just by existing.

If we are going to see real development in the world then our best investment is women.

The best thing you can do is to be a woman and stand before the world and speak your heart.

I love to challenge the status quo. That’s been my mission from day one as an actress and an early feminist wanting equality and wanting to push the limits of what’s possible.