The Best Female Quotes Ever

"Internet's been down most of the day [at work]. Doing research by just asking everyone what we remember to be true. What could possibly go wrong?"

—RACHEL MADDOW, TV host, Twitter

"Funny women are honest women."

—LIZ MERIWETHER, New Girl creator, The New York Times

"Everyone always says to me, 'Why aren't there more people of color on television?' I'm like, 'Why don't you ask a bunch of people who aren't putting people of color on television why there aren't more people of color on television?'"

—SHONDA RHIMES, Grey's Anatomy and Scandal creator, Salon

"The data is clear: If you give a woman an opportunity, she will make a huge difference."

—CARLY FIORINA, former Hewlett-Packard CEO, Forbes

"This is a long-delayed, hard-won, and badly needed victory for millions of women."

—PATTY MURRAY, senator (D-WA), on the Violence Against Women Act

"She watched the first episode and she was like, 'This is feminism?' And then by the end of the season, she was like, 'This is feminism.' The tone changed completely. She was really psyched about it."

—ALLISON WILLIAMS, Girls actress, on if her grandmother enjoys her show, Chelsea Lately

"Note to self: When noticing flyaway hairs, do not use lip gloss as an 'on-the-go' hair gel."

—DANICA MCKELLAR, actress, Twitter

"Not since I was 10, trying to get Nick Vossler's attention in PE. 'Red Rover, Red Rover, send Nicholas right over!'"

—ELIZABETH OLSEN, actress, on the last time she competed with a girlfriend for another guy, The Daily Beast

"The notion that wearing makeup is antifeminist is silly. Cleopatra pretty much invented the eyeliner, and she ruled a kingdom!"

— NATASHA SCRIPTURE, writer, The New York Times

"Women and people of color and young people especially are about to have this amazing opportunity to shift the political conversation in this country for the good of all of us, toward more progressive policies, and it's a really amazing and important time to be part of that."

—SANDRA FLUKE, activist, The Huffington Post

"Never abandon your dreams. You may regret it for the rest of your life."

—FABIOLA GIANOTTI, top global scientist, Time

"My one goal when I started was not to actually vomit on TV or run away."

—KATE MCKINNON, Saturday Night Live cast member, Forbes

"You have to really believe not only in yourself; you have to believe that the world is actually worth your sacrifices."

—ZAHA HADID, on being a pioneering woman in architecture, The Huffington Post

"I had no intention of becoming a comedian. I just wanted to make people happy. I tried everything—I shucked oysters, I painted houses, I sold vacuum cleaners. But there was always a voice saying, You should be doing something different. And it was usually my boss and I was being fired."

—ELLEN DEGENERES, accepting the 2012 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

"I can get ready in 10 minutes."

—CAROLINA HERRERA, The Daily Telegraph

"I've tried many different types of alarm apps, but the tried and true is the iPhone alarm. I like it because you can label your alarms. For my personal amusement, I've labeled them 3 a.m. for 'ridiculously early,' 3:30 is just 'early,' and 4 is 'slacker.'"

—SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, on getting to work on time, USA Today

"Heels and red lipstick will put the fear of God into people."

—DITA VON TEESE, on what she's learned being a burlesque star, The New York Times

"We all obsess about what we are doing and accomplishing. What if we let it go and simply made the way we live our lives our accomplishment?"

—MARIA SHRIVER, Twitter

"Every sweet, humble young model is only one campaign away from becoming a fashion monster."

—COCO ROCHA, Instagram

"Vince Lombardi says, you know, in my life there are three things: God, family, and the Green Bay Packers, in that order. For me, it's God, family, and Yahoo, in that order."

—MARISSA MAYER, Yahoo CEO, on how she gets it all done, at Fortune's "Most Powerful Women" dinner

"The world wants to define me by my mammary glands and melanin. It is just fascinating that Michael Mann has never been asked what it is like to be a white male filmmaker."

—VICTORIA MAHONEY, director of Yelling to the Sky, on being an African-American woman working in Hollywood, The Daily Beast

"Sexism is so five minutes ago. I think for the most part, people accept that women are as competent as men."

—KATIE COURIC, The Huffington Post

"Generosity is the best investment."

—DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, Twitter

"I don't think about it in terms of being a woman. Being gracious, attentive, curious, interested are requirements for everyone."

—JENNA LYONS, J.Crew president and creative director, on being a top businesswoman, The Huffington Post

"There are so many distractions you can face as a woman, either with relationships or worrying about, Should I go to this party? or, Should I be doing this to help me get ahead? All [success] is, is doing your work and staying focused. It's boring advice, but boring good advice is what you can get from me!"

—MINDY KALING, on getting ahead, at The Hollywood Reporter's "Women in Entertainment" breakfast

"I didn't want women to walk out of the dressing rooms feeling depressed and wanting a cocktail."

—SARA BLAKELY, Spanx founder, on choosing the lighting for the first Spanx retail store, The Washington Post