Empowering Words: A Curated Collection of Inspirational Quotes for Black Mothers

"A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim."

- Maya Angelou

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."

- Maya Angelou

"Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women."

- Maya Angelou

"Women and girls can do whatever they want. There is no limit to what we as women can accomplish."

- Michelle Obama

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a b*tch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass."

- Maya Angelou

"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does."

- Serena Williams

"We have to nurture our young women and understand the beauty and the strength of being a woman. It’s kind of a catch-22: Strength in women isn’t appreciated, and vulnerability in women isn’t appreciated. It’s like, ‘What the hell do you do?’ What you do is you don’t allow anyone to dictate who you are."

- Jada Pinkett Smith

"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness."

- Oprah Winfrey

"Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough."

- Oprah Winfrey

"Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment."

- Oprah Winfrey

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."

- Maya Angelou

"If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded."

- Maya Angelou

"If you’re serious, you really understand that it’s important that you laugh as much as possible and admit that you’re the funniest person you ever met. You have to laugh. Admit that you’re funny. Otherwise, you die in solemnity."

- Maya Angelou

"I just think, as women, we have to give ourselves room to be individuals. So when a woman makes a decision for herself, we as women shouldn’t set those hardcore boundaries for another woman. Just like we don’t want men setting hardcore boundaries for us."

- Jada Pinkett Smith

"Love and honesty are the things that make a good wife and mother."

- Jada Pinkett Smith

"You know, as I get older, personal happiness is all about love. It’s all about love. You know, how I’m loved and how I love my family and my husband. That to me is happiness, when I feel like I am loved and I have a place to love deeply. That to me is happiness."

- Jada Pinkett Smith

"We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list."

- Michelle Obama

"My mother’s love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, her intelligence reflected in my daughters."

- Michelle Obama

"There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made."

- Michelle Obama

"Find people who will make you better"

- Michelle Obama

"I have learned the hard way to mind my business, without judging who people are and what they do. I am more troubled by the lack of space being provided for the truth to unfold. Humans cannot seem to wait for or honor the truth. Instead, we make it up based on who we believe people should or should not be."

- Iyanla Vanzant

"The remedy for life’s broken pieces is not classes, workshops or books. Don’t try to heal the broken pieces. Just forgive."

- Iyanla Vanzant

"Talk about your negative experiences with the father, with your girlfriends. Not with your children. And bite your tongue when it comes to diminishing, denying, dismissing, name-calling."

- Iyanla Vanzant

"In order to feel loved, be respected and stay connected, we humans have a tendency to lie. We lie about who we are, what we want, what we need, what we have done or will do. Perhaps ‘lie’ is too strong a word. Let me say that what we do is withhold the truth."

- Iyanla Vanzant

"Beautiful, strong, courageous women who walk with their heads held high, knowing their worth! They are Queens who make the hardest task look easy."

- Keonna W.

"Deal with yourself as an individual worthy of respect, and make everyone else deal with you the same way."

- Nikki Giovanni

"Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another."

- Toni Morrison

"You know, you do need mentors, but in the end, you really just need to believe in yourself."

- Diana Ross

"It was when I realized I needed to stop trying to be somebody else and be myself, I actually started to own, accept and love what I had."

- Tracee Ellis Ross

"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept."

- Angela Davis

"Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable. I didn’t have to become perfect because I’ve learned throughout my journey that perfection is the enemy of greatness."

- Janelle Monáe

"I don’t have any time to stay up all night worrying about what someone who doesn’t love me has to say about me."

- Viola Davis

"Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any Happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself."

- Alice Walker

"If you prioritize yourself, you are going to save yourself."

- Gabrielle Union

"You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can’t go wrong. The world is behind you."

- Josephine Baker

"My mother did not raise me to ask for permission to lead."

- Ayanna Pressley

"Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that’s in us."

- Angela Bassett

"Your willingness to look at your darkness is what empowers you to change."

- Iyanla Vanzant

"You can be the lead in your own life."

- Kerry Washington

"I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all."

- Simone Biles

"Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then."

- Diana Ross

"I thrive on obstacles. If I’m told that it can’t be told, then I push harder."

- Issa Rae

"You’ve just got to follow your own path. You have to trust your heart and you have to listen to the warnings."

- Chaka Khan

"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own."

- Audre Lorde

"You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own."

- Michelle Obama

"Where there is a woman there is magic."

- Ntozake Shange

"Without justice there can be no love."

- Bell Hooks

"If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it."

- Zora Neale Hurston

"I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."

- Rosa Parks

"A crown, if it hurts us, is not worth wearing."

- Pearl Bailey

"Dear Black Fathers and Black Mothers… Let's give our children gifts that TRULY matter. The gift of being a positive role model. The gift of showing them what genuine love looks and feels like. The gift of spending quality time with them. The gift of making them feel wanted and loved. The gift of open and honest communication. The gift of hearing and listening to them. The gift of guidance, support, and friendship. Let’s set them up for greatness by investing in them early on in life by preparing, teaching, educating, and empowering them!"

- Stephanie LaHart

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."

- Oprah Winfrey

"A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her."

- Maya Angelou

"Loving, protective, conscientious, hopeful, determined and committed."

- Lingaire N

"is this what it is to be a mother who has to carry the weight of having to protect her children in a world that is conspiring to kill them? Are you forced to exist within a terrible trinity of emotion: rage, grief of guilt? What of the joy and the peace that loving a child brings? What of pride and of hope? Could it really be true that my mother has been given no door number four or five or six or even seven to walk through in order to know the wholeness of motherhood? Is she one in a long line of Black mothers limited to survival mode or grief?"

- Patrisse Khan-Cullors

"Dear Black Women… I encourage you to be VERY mindful of who you choose to have your children with. Too many of our black children are growing up without their fathers. Why would you have sex with a man that you know isn’t any good? Why give up your loving to a man that has kids with this woman and that woman? Why have kids with a man that stays in and out of jail/prison? Why have kids with a man that doesn’t work? Why have kids with a man that’s clearly NOT father material? Think before you have unprotected sex… You can’t afford NOT to. Our kids deserve better… Choose wisely!"

- Stephanie LaHart

"If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything."

- Malcolm X

"Resilient. Resourceful. Intentional. Creative. Fun. Vibrant. Flexible. Mulit-taskers. Passionate. Graceful. Loving."

"Single black moms are UNSTOPPABLE."

"Powerful, resourceful, audacious, innovative nurturers, master builders, and a cornerstone in society! If you google Black women entrepreneurs, we have risen 114% from 1997 to 2017. We face obstacles so much more than our counterparts and still succeed as only a strong Black woman could."

- Anonymous

"Single Black Moms are awesome, valuable, respectable, undefeated, and world-changers."

"You’re luck if you get one good friend in life."

"What part of no don’t you understand?"

"If you lay down with dogs, you wake up with flees."

"A man will only treat you how you let him."

"If your friends jump off a bridge, are you going to jump too?"

"Because I said so!"

"Birds of a feather, flock together."

"Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!"

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness!"