{"id":64705,"date":"2026-03-10T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=64705"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:09:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T17:09:36","slug":"inspiring-quotes-from-11-iconic-women-who-made-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/inspiring-quotes-from-11-iconic-women-who-made-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspiring Quotes from 11 Iconic Women Who Made History"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Coach
Coach Katie Sowers is one of 11 women who achieved awesome “firsts” that we’re celebrating. (Credit: @katesowers5, Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Women continue to make history, especially as we further establish ourselves in male-dominated<\/a> fields. But let’s be clear: We have always been trailblazers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In honor of Women\u2019s History Month, we are remembering women<\/a> who achieved some fantastic \u201cfirsts\u201d over the past 150 years \u2013 women who paved the way for others by disrupting the man-made status quo. Below, you\u2019ll find inspirational, thoughtful words from 11 such women, and learn a bit more about the history they made.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n \"Celia\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n \u00a0\u2018Queen of Salsa Music\u2019 Becomes First Afro-Latina on U.S. Quarters\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
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1<\/div>\n \n

Sen. Tammy Baldwin. (Credit: AFGE, Flickr)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cOur constitutional liberties shall not be sacrificed in our search for greater security, for that is what our enemies and all enemies of freedom and democracy hope to achieve.\u201d – Sen. Tammy Baldwin<\/h2>\n

Tammy Baldwin made history by becoming the first openly gay senator in the U.S. She served as a Wisconsin State Representative for seven consecutive terms until 2013, when she was elected to the state Senate. While in office, she has prioritized statewide educational reform, as well as student debt relief and college accessibility. <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Director Kathryn Bigelow. (Credit: David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cIf there's specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.\u201d – Kathryn Bigelow<\/h2>\n

Famed director <\/span>Kathryn Bigelow<\/span><\/a> is the first woman to ever receive a Best Director Oscar, which she won at the 2008 Academy Awards for her work on \u201cThe Hurt Locker.\u201d Since then, only two other women have won it \u2014 Chloe Zhao in 2021, and <\/span>Jane Champion<\/span><\/a> in 2022. While subsequent years of Oscar nominations have largely <\/span>left out women directors<\/span><\/a> altogether, Bigelow\u2019s achievement helped fuel the ongoing push for more female representation in all categories at major Hollywood awards ceremonies. <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Performer Aretha Franklin. (Credit: Mike Bouchard, Flickr)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cWe all require and want respect, man or woman, Black or white. It\u2019s our basic human right.\u201d – Aretha Franklin<\/h2>\n

Undisputed Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 \u2013 the only woman to receive that distinction up to that point. She is still regarded as one of the most influential recording artists of all time, with multiple chart-topping hits such as \u201cRespect\u201d \u2014 probably her most successful song \u2014 \u201cChain of Fools,\u201d \u201cI Say a Little Prayer\u201d and \u201c(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman.\u201d By 2009, she had won 18 Grammys and had sung at three presidential inaugurations, among myriad other accomplishments. <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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4<\/div>\n \n

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. (Credit: Deb for Congress)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cWe must shift our thinking away from short-term gain toward long-term investment and sustainability, and always have the next generations in mind with every decision we make.\u201d – Deb Haaland<\/h2>\n

Deb Haaland was the first Native American woman to serve as a cabinet secretary. Prior to her 2021 appointment to the office of U.S. Secretary of the Interior, she became the first Native American woman to lead a state party in 2014 when she became New Mexico\u2019s Lieutenant Governor. As Secretary of the Interior, Haaland was focused on preserving the nation\u2019s natural resources and cultural heritage. Now, she’s running to be New Mexico’s next governor<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Vice President Kamala Harris. (Credit: GPA Photo Archive on Flickr)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cTo the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they\u2019ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you every step of the way.\u201d – Kamala Harris<\/h2>\n

Kamala Harris was the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States. That\u2019s not all \u2013 she\u2019s also the first Black and first South-Asian Vice President in American history. And she was, of course, the first woman of color to secure the Democratic nomination for President in 2024. Before joining President Joe Biden\u2019s team, Harris served as District Attorney of San Francisco, Attorney General of California and as a U.S. Senator. <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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6<\/div>\n \n

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cGirls, I know it has not been easy, as I have tried to navigate the challenges of juggling my career and motherhood. And I fully admit I did not always get the balance right. But I hope that you\u2019ve seen that with hard work, determination and love, it can be done.\u201d – Ketanji Brown Jackson <\/h2>\n

Ketanji Brown Jackson\u2019s <\/span>nomination<\/span><\/a> to the Supreme Court was an historic one \u2014 she is now the first Black woman to serve in the highest court in the country. She was nominated by the Biden administration and confirmed in 2022. Jackson rallied significant <\/span>support<\/span><\/a> from respected organizations such as the <\/span>NAACP<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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7<\/div>\n \n

Former Rep. Patsy Mink. (Credit: J Kurnow, Flickr)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cWe self-righteously expect all others to admire us for our democracy and our traditions. We are so smug about our superiority, we fail to see our own glaring faults, such as prejudice and poverty amidst affluence.\u201d – Patsy Mink<\/h2>\n

Patsy Mink was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first Asian-American woman to serve in the U.S. Congress. As a Hawaii native, Mink jumped at the opportunity to serve when Hawaii officially became a state in 1959. She earned a seat in the Hawaii State Senate in 1962 before winning a new position in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964. Mink was a strong supporter of gender and racial equality, and an especially strong voice behind landmark legislation such as Title IX. Her work in government continued <\/span>until her death<\/span><\/a> in 2002. <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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8<\/div>\n \n

Actress Rita Moreno. (Mitchell Weinstock, Flickr)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cIt is through art that we will prevail and we will endure. It lives on after us and defines us as people.\u201d – Rita Moreno<\/h2>\n

Rita Moreno changed the film game for Latino people in America. She became the first Latina woman to win an Academy Award for her portrayal of Anita in the 1961 film \u201cWest Side Story.\u201d Moreno is also an EGOT winner \u2014 meaning that she has won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards \u2014 and earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George Bush in 2004. She continues to perform, in roles such as Valentina in Steven Spielberg\u2019s 2021 remake of \u201cWest Side Story\u201d and in the 2023 comedy \u201c80 for Brady.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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9<\/div>\n \n

Frances Perkins. (Penn State Special Collections, Flickr)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cThe people are what matter to the government, and a government should aim to give all the people under its jurisdiction the best possible life.\u201d – Frances Perkins<\/h2>\n

In 1933, Frances Perkins became the first woman to hold a position in a presidential office as the Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was said to be the \u201cdriving force\u201d behind the New Deal. In interviews, Perkins <\/span>recalled<\/span><\/a> resisting her family\u2019s encouragement to take a teaching position, as many women in New England did at the time. She instead paved the way for future women to assume top roles in government, including first-ever woman Secretary of State <\/span>Madeleine Albright<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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10<\/div>\n \n

Coach Katie Sowers. (@katesowers5, Instagram)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s awesome being the first, but what I keep saying is that it\u2019s more important that I\u2019m not the last.\u201d – Katie Sowers<\/h2>\n

Football is an especially male-dominated sport. Yet change is slowly occurring, and not just because of the Taylor Swift effect. The league hired its first woman and openly gay coach in Katie Sowers, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers. She even became the first woman to take a team to the <\/span>Super Bowl<\/span><\/a> in February 2020. Sowers had always loved football, but had never seen a woman coach in the NFL before landing a role herself. She now works at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Ontario.<\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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11<\/div>\n \n

Author Edith Wharton. (WBUR Boston NPR, Flickr)<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\u201cThere are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.\u201d – Edith Wharton<\/h2>\n

Edith Wharton won a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction \u2014 formerly known as the \u201cNovel Prize\u201d \u2014 for \u201cThe Age of Innocence\u201d in 1921, making her the first woman to ever do so. The novel was adapted into film in 1993, and starred respected actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfiffer and Winona Ryder. In 2020, the book and subsequent film were both honored at Wharton\u2019s historic home, The Mount \u2014 which now is a cultural center \u2014 as part of marking the novel\u2019s 100th anniversary. <\/span><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

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Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n \"Kamala\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Inspiring Quotes From 10 Iconic Black Women\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s Note: This post, updated for 2026, was originally published March 8, 2023.<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Women\u2019s History Month, we\u2019re spotlighting women who achieved fantastic \u201cfirsts\u201d in politics, the arts and more. 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