101 Inspiring Boss Lady Quotes & Mantras

Searching for inspiring girl boss, strong woman, or boss lady quotes to help you stay motivated and inspired as a female freelancer or entrepreneur? We got you covered!

As a female entrepreneur, I know that it’s tough going against the grain in order to follow your dreams and reach your goals. I’ve been a business owner since 2005, starting an ecommerce clothing store that I grew into two retail stores – then selling this business and starting from scratch to build a freelancing business that allowed me to work and travel.

It hasn’t been easy – but going out on my own has been the best decision I ever made.

When the going gets tough, I read about mindset strategies, which includes reading inspirational quotes from other inspiring women (and men!). This helps me keep my head up when I feel like giving up on everything.

Check out this list of best boss lady quotes to help you improve your productivity, motivation, and mindset. You can use these strong woman quotes on social media, print them and frame them for your office, or write them on a sticky note to put on your desk or laptop when the going gets tough.

What is a lady boss, or girl boss?

The term “Girl Boss” or “Lady Boss” is not derogatory. A boss lady has just come to mean a confident, entrepreneurial woman who runs her own business and lives life her own way.

She doesn’t want to follow normal, boring conventions, has an idea that she’s confident will work – and gives it her everything to make it happen – despite the roadblocks, problems, and naysayers she encounters along the way.

Traits of a great boss lady:

• Consistent
• Determined
• Productive
• Passionate
• Motivated
• Driven
• Focused
• Balanced
• Smart
• Confident
• Goal-oriented
• Listens
• Learns
• Takes action and implements what she learns

Looking for more inspirational quotes? Check out our other articles here:

• 115 Best Business Quotes For Entrepreneurs
• Daily Self Love Affirmations To Improve Confidence & Self Worth

Inspiring Boss Lady Quotes

1. Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world
   Hillary Clinton
   
   
2. Be so good they can’t ignore you
   Steve Martin
   
   
3. A woman’s best protection is money of her own
   Clare Boothe Luce
   
   
4. I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger
   Serena Williams
   
   
5. When you learn how much you’re worth, you’ll stop giving people discounts
   Karen Salmansohn
   
   
6. The question isn’t who is going to let me – it’s who is going to stop me?
   Ayn Rand
   
   
7. If you’re too comfortable, it’s time to move on. Terrified of what’s next? You’re on the right track 
   Susan Fales Hill
   
   
8. A wise girl knows her limits – a smart girl knows she has none
   Marilyn Monroe
   
   
9. There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.
   Brené Brown
   
   
10. Sometimes you gotta be a beauty AND a beast
    Nicki Minaj
    
    
11. The key to success is to start before you are ready
    Marie Forleo
    
    
12. I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like would have an opposite, which I would like
    Coco Chanel
    
    
13. Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve
    J.K. Rowling
    
    
14. The more we can break the rules, the better off we’re going to be
    Indra Nooyi
    
    
15. Act like a lady, think Like a boss
    Keita B.
    
    
16. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think
    A.A. Milne
    
    
17. Work until you no longer need to introduce yourself
    Unknown
    
    
18. There will be people who say to you, ‘You are out of your lane.’ They are burdened by only having the capacity to see what has always been instead of what can be. But don’t you let that burden you
    Vice President Kamala Harris
    
    
19. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door
    Milton Berle
    
    
20. At 70 years old, if I could give my younger self one piece of advice, It would be to use the phrase ‘f*** off’ much more frequently
    Helen Mirren
    
    
21. Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door
    Kyle Chandler
    
    
22. Stop telling yourself you don’t know what to do. Yes, you do. Listen to your intuition and trust yourself
    Katherine Sullivan
    
    
23. Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently
    Marie Forleo
    
    
24. Life is tough, my darling, but so are you
    Stephanie Bennett-Henry
    
    
25. If you want it bad enough, you have to be willing to fight for it
    Charlene Johnson
    
    
26. Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness 
    Oprah Winfrey
    
    
27. I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them
    Madam C.J. Walker
    
    
28. Every strike brings me closer to the next home run
    Babe Ruth
    
    
29. I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept
    Angela Davis
    
    
30. I just want to hustle in peace, surround myself with positive vibes only, eat good food, and define my own version of happiness and success
    Unknown
    
    
31. Women are like tea bags. You never know how strong they are until they are in hot water
    Eleanor Roosevelt
    
    
32. We need to get women to the point where they aren’t apologizing. It’s time to take ownership in our success
    Tory Burch
    
    
33. I am a woman with thoughts and questions and sh*t to say. I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story — I will
    Amy Schumer
    
    
34. The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.
    Coco Chanel
    
    
35. Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral. Pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change
    Shonda Rhimes
    
    
36. Some women fear the fire, some women simply become it
    R.H. Sin
    
    
37. Do one thing every day that scares you
    Eleanor Roosevelt
    
    
38. Do not be obsessed with expensive things. Instead, be obsessed with excellence. Things don’t make you excellent. However, excellence will make you expensive
    Janna Cachola
    
    
39. If you live for people’s acceptance, you’ll die from their rejections
    Lecrae
    
    
40. The woman who doesn’t require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet
    Mohadesa Najumi
    
    
41. You can’t have a million-dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic
    Stephen C. Hogan
    
    
42. I want every little girl who’s been told she’s bossy to be told again she has leadership skills
    Sheryl Sandberg
    
    
43. You can say a lot of things about me, but you cannot say I don’t work hard
    Kim Kardashian
    
    
44. A wise woman once said, ‘f**k this sh*t’ and she lived happily ever after
    Unknown
    
    
45. I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse
    Florence Nightingale
    
    
46. You’re not in competition with other women. You’re in competition with everyone
    Tina Fey
    
    
47. A woman with vision is unstoppable, a woman who is always increasing her skills multiplies. Along with passion this woman is undeniable
    Janna Cachola
    
    
48. I’m tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch…okay!
    Madonna
    
    
49. I am not lucky. You know what I am? I am smart, I am talented, I take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and I work really, really hard. Don’t call me lucky. Call me a badass
    Shonda Rhimes
    
    
50. Great people do things before they’re ready
    Amy Poehler
    
    
51. A true diva is graceful, and talented, and strong, and fearless and brave and someone with humility 
    Beyoncé
    
    
52. Smile and Slay. You have to slay it in life or life will slay you
    Janna Cachola
    
    
53. Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve
    J.K. Rowling
    
    
54. Do not be afraid. Do not worry about fear of failure and fear of what others think
    Bola Sokunbi
    
    
55. I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass
    Maya Angelou
    
    
56. I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist
    Ginni Rometti
    
    
57. Strong women don’t have ‘attitudes’ – we have standards
    Unknown
    
    
58. If you are giving a lot of value, if you are making an impact in people’s lives, it will be reflected in your bank account
    Mille Leung     
                                                                     
    
59. If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one
    Dolly Parton
    
    
60. A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult
    Melinda Gates
    
    
61. Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful
    Mary Shelley
    
    
62. In whatever you do, you’re not going to stand out unless you think big and have ideas that are truly original. That comes from tapping into your own creativity, not obsessing over what everyone else is doing
    Sophia Amoruso
    
    
63. Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you
    Oprah Winfrey
    
    
64. It is within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO
    Martha Stewart
    
    
65. Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room
    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
    
    
66. “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants
    Coco Chanel
    
    
67. People respond well to those that are sure of what they want
    Anna Wintour
    
    
68. Don’t give up, don’t take anything personally, and don’t take no for an answer
    Sophia Amoruso
    
    
69. I am no bird, and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will
    Charlotte Bronte
    
    
70. You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default
    J.K. Rowling           
     
    
71. Stay on your game and keep going for your dreams. The World needs that special gift that only you have
    Marie Forleo
    
    
72. Even if your dream seems unattainable, you can achieve it if you stay focused, driven, and diligent 
    Rebecca Minkoff
    
    
73. Abandon anything about your life and habits that might be holding you back. Learn to create your own opportunities
    Sophia Amoruso
    
    
74. There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women
    Madeleine Albright
    
    
75. Who you are today . . . that’s who you are. Be brave. Be amazing. Be worthy. And every single time you get the chance? Stand up in front of people. Let them see you. Speak. Be heard.
    Shonda Rhimes
    
    
76. Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve
    Mary Kay Ash
    
    
77. If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can’t hear them anymore
    Michele Ruiz
    
    
78. I dream it, I work hard, I grind ’til I own it. I twirl on them haters
    Beyoncé
    
    
79. You can be an absolute woman and also be smart and tough and not lose your femininity
    Priyanka Chopra
    
    
80. If you want to be successful in this world, you have to follow your passion, not a paycheck       
    Jen Welter
    
    
81. The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it
    Roseanne Barr
    
    
82. 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
    
    
83. Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility
    Michelle Obama
    
    
84. Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don’t just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacle
    Tina Fey
    
    
85. I love celebrating other people’s wins as much as my own. It doesn’t intimidate me when others are winning. I believe there’s enough success to go around for everyone
    Unknown
    
    
86. I like it when people tell me that I’ve changed. That’s the point. I’m not trying to be the same me doing the same stuff that I’ve always been doing. That’s not going to get me the results I want
    Unknown
    
    
87. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears
    Les Brown
    
    
88. I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint
    Oprah Winfrey
    
    
89. The power lunch is no longer just for men. We all deserve a seat at the table
    Whitney Wolfe Herd
    
    
90. Be the kind of woman that makes other women want to up their game
    Unknown
    
    
91. I’m not bossy, I’m the boss
    Beyoncé
    
    
92. When they go low, we go high
    Michelle Obama
    
    
93. Eighty percent of success is showing up
    Woody Allen
    
    
94. Noone is an overnight success. Put in the work
    Unknown
    
    
95. I’ll never apologize for being ambitious, passionate, and strong minded. If it offends you, you know where the door is
    Unknown
    
    
96. Whatever it is that you think you want to do, and whatever it is that you think stands between you and that, stop making excuses. You can do anything
    Katia Beauchamp
    
    
97. If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs
    Dhirubhai Ambani
    
    
98. Well behaved women rarely make history
    Unknown
    
    
99. I never really like to see myself as the queen. I’m not playing queen, I don’t want to be the queen. I’m the boss. I’m the mother, I’m the boss, I’m in charge of my decisions with my team. I try to make the best of myself, to accomplish something, to always put the bar as high as I can
    Celine Dion
    
    
100. Being the boss anywhere is lonely. Being a female boss in a world of mostly men is especially so
     Robert Frost
     
     
101. Believe you can and you’re halfway there
     Theodore Roosevelt

In Summary – Inspiring Boss Lady Quotes

I hope you’re feeling fired up and motivated after reading the list of inspiring boss lady quotes!

Mindset is a key part of achieving any goals that you’ve set yourself – so be sure to check back in on this list to give yourself a mental boost whenever you need it.