Leading with Compassion and Courage: 24 Empowering Quotes from Women in Leadership

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“Some leaders were born women.” — Geraldine A. Ferraro

Geraldine A. Ferraro once said, “Some leaders were born women,” and I wholeheartedly believe in her words. Women possess the power to lead if they choose to embrace it.

Recently, my former boss—a talented design director at one of my previous companies—reached out and asked if I could serve as a reference for her during her job search. Naturally, I said yes! I was thrilled to hear about her new opportunities, and I sincerely wish her the best in this next chapter.

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in women taking on senior leadership roles. However, according to the 2023 Women in the Workplace study by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company, there is still significant progress to be made. Currently, 60% of managerial positions are held by men, while women hold just 40%. Even more concerning, women of color make up only 13% of these roles. Yet, 9 out of 10 women under the age of 30 are eager to advance in their careers, and 3 in 4 aspire to reach senior leadership positions. Clearly, women are ambitious and ready to rise.

In the textile design industry, where I’ve worked for over a decade, I’ve witnessed female leadership firsthand. This industry is largely female-dominated, and I’ve been fortunate to work with inspiring women who have granted me creative freedom and helped build my confidence as a designer. These experiences have left a lasting impression on me, showing how powerful leadership can be when it’s rooted in empathy, boldness, and authenticity.

Leadership manifests in many ways, but its most significant impact comes when it is grounded in empathy, courage, and integrity. I look forward to seeing more women rise to senior leadership, shaping the future and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

The following collection of quotes from women leaders worldwide highlights the power of leadership based on compassion, boldness, and resilience. These words offer timeless wisdom on everything from overcoming failure to seizing opportunities, reminding us of the true essence of leadership.

Leadership is about Empathy and Compassion

Inspiring Confidence in Others

• “Success is not about climbing to the top; it’s about lifting others as you climb.” — Michelle Obama, Former First Lady of the United States

  
  

• “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the United States

Compassionate Leadership in Action

• “Showing that we care about the business and that we care about the people making a business great: these two things need to come together.” — Patricia Hargil, Vice President of Transformation, Messer Americas

  
  

• “Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.” — Indra Nooyi, Former CEO of PepsiCo

  
  

• “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” — Sheryl Sandberg, Former COO of Meta

• “I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong.” — Jacinda Ardern, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand

Leadership is About Having a Voice

Leading with Courage

• “You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering and often earns you new respect.” — Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance

  
  

• “Daring leaders are never silent about hard things.” — Brené Brown, American professor and social worker

  
  

Empowering Others to Speak Up

• “I tell my daughters to have their voice in this world, and it became clear I needed to role-model that.” — Melinda Gates, philanthropist, former computer scientist, and general manager at Microsoft

  
  

• “Women often talk themselves out of opportunities when they should be doing the opposite.” — Aditi Javeri Gokhale, Chief Strategy Officer, Northwestern Mutual

Overcoming Failure and Embracing Risk

Failure as a Pathway to Success

• “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” — Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post

• “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” — Maya Angelou, memoirist, poet, civil rights activist

Taking Risks and Making Mistakes

• “Every time we got a knock back and understood why people wouldn’t invest, we changed and revised our pitch. Failure was never an option.” — Melanie Perkins, Co-Founder and CEO of Canva

  
  

• “If you’re not making some notable mistakes along the way, you’re certainly not taking enough business and career chances." — Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest

  
  

• “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it, the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.” — Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post

Be Bold, Know Who You Are, and Believe in Yourself

Authenticity is Power

• “Self-awareness and self-love matter. Who we are is how we lead.” — Brené Brown, American professor and social worker

  
  

• “Within who you are is everything you need in order to be successful at what you're supposed to do.” — Ukonwa Ojo, CMO of Amazon Studios

• “One piece of advice I would offer to my younger self would be to resist being a people pleaser. With experience, I now recognize that validation needs to come from within, and the ability to honor and acknowledge your own strengths, contributions, and achievements is more important and gratifying than the external validation from others.” — Coleen Glessner, Executive VP: Quality & Ethics at Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

  
  

• “One of the most important things for any leader is to never let anyone else define who you are. And you define who you are. I never think of myself as being a woman CEO of this company. I think of myself as a steward of a great institution.” — Ginni Rometty, former executive chairman of IBM

Boldness in Uncertainty

• “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” — Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx

Opportunities Arise in Different Forms. Keep Seeking What You Want

Seizing Opportunities

• “Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. 'Here, open it, it's perfect. You'll love it.' Opportunities—the good ones—are messy, confusing, and hard to recognize. They’re risky. They challenge you.” — Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube

  
  

• “Seek opportunities that are right for you, and knock persistently until those doors open.” — Achenyo Idachaba-Obaro, Entrepreneur

Taking Initiative

• “Some people only ask others to do something. I believe that, why should I wait for someone else? Why don’t I take a step and move forward?” — Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani education activist

• “If you do every job like you're going to do it for the rest of your life, that's when you get noticed.” — Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors

These quotes from female leaders—spanning business executives, humanitarians, and creatives—capture the essence of what it means to lead with empathy, courage, and conviction. True leadership is about more than making decisions; it’s about empowering others, embracing vulnerability, and speaking up for what matters.

Whether we’re looking for inspiration to lift others or learning to embrace risks, these words offer us powerful guidance for navigating the challenges of leadership!