Inspiring Katherine Johnson Quotes to Empower Your Journey

"Even as a professional in an integrated world, I had been the only black woman in enough drawing rooms and boardrooms to have an inkling of the chutzpah it took for an African American woman in a segregated southern workplace to tell her bosses she was sure her calculations would put a man on the Moon."

- Katherine Johnson

"We needed to be assertive as women in those days – assertive and aggressive – and the degree to which we had to be that way depended on where you were. I had to be."

- Katherine Johnson

"Everything was so new – the whole idea of going into space was new and daring. There were no textbooks, so we had to write them."

- Katherine Johnson

"You lose your curiosity when you stop learning."

- Katherine Johnson

"I asked questions; I wanted to know why. They got used to me asking questions and being the only woman there."

- Katherine Johnson

"It’s not every day you wake up with a mission in your mind, but I had a mission and I was determined to accomplish it."

- Katherine Johnson

"I don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better."

- Katherine Johnson

"In math, you’re either right or you’re wrong."

- Katherine Johnson

"I felt most proud on the success of the Apollo mission."

- Katherine Johnson

"I found what I was looking for at Langley. This was what a research mathematician did. I went to work every day for 33 years happy. Never did I get up and say I don't want to go to work."

- Katherine Johnson

"I had a very, very interesting childhood, but, oh my, education was the primary focus in our family."

- Katherine Johnson

"I like to learn. That's an art and a science."

- Katherine Johnson

"I was just excited to have challenging work to do and smart people to work with."

- Katherine Johnson

"Once you took the first step, anything was possible."

- Katherine Johnson

"You are no better than anyone else, and no one is better than you."

- Katherine Johnson

"We had to determine so much. Where you were, where the Moon would be and how fast the astronauts were going."

- Katherine Johnson

"The women did what they were told to do. They didn’t ask questions or take the task any further. I asked questions; I wanted to know why. They got used to me asking questions and being the only woman there."

- Katherine Johnson

"I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed… anything that could be counted, I did."

- Katherine Johnson

"We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics."

- Katherine Johnson

"Go see 'Hidden Figures,' and take a young person! It will give a more positive outlook on what is possible if you work hard, do your best, and are prepared."

- Katherine Johnson

"My colleagues and I were committed to the work. We found different ways to deal with the segregation."

- Katherine Johnson

"Like what you do, and then you will do your best."

- Katherine Johnson

"Everything is physics and math."

- Katherine Johnson

"You are better than you think you are."

- Katherine Johnson

"I liked working with smart people."

- Katherine Johnson

"I made up my mind as a child to never have my country open any door for me. I realized I had to open it for myself."

- Katherine Johnson

"You don't just awaken one day and find yourself a genius in your field. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and sometimes going against the societal norms."

- Katherine Johnson

"I always told myself, ‘Whatever I was doing, I was going to do to the best of my ability.’"

- Katherine Johnson

"I was always changing, starting from the back and going to the front. But nobody ever failed me."

- Katherine Johnson

"I think that brains are like muscles, just like the muscles in your arms and legs. If you use them, you get stronger."

- Katherine Johnson

"The greatest lesson I learned as a mathematician is that uncertainty is the key to growth."

- Katherine Johnson

"The greatest minds of the past still have much to teach us as long as we are willing to listen."

- Katherine Johnson

"I knew that I would have to face the obstacles and prejudices of being a black woman in a white, male-dominated field, but I was determined to prove myself."

- Katherine Johnson

"I found that as long as I conducted myself with professionalism and proved my worth through my work, people would eventually ignore the barriers of race and gender."

- Katherine Johnson

"You can change people's perceptions by breaking barriers and proving them wrong with your accomplishments."

- Katherine Johnson

"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish."

- Michelle Obama

"I wasn't trying to be a pioneer or make history. I was just doing what I loved and following my passions."

- Katherine Johnson

"We must believe in ourselves and our abilities, even when others doubt us."

- Katherine Johnson

"Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords - they are essential for progress and innovation."

- Katherine Johnson

"I hope that my story can inspire the next generation of young women and girls to dream big and believe in themselves."

- Katherine Johnson

"Never let anyone tell you that your dreams are too big or that you aren't capable. Believe in yourself and work hard to make your dreams a reality."

- Katherine Johnson

"Always be curious and never stop learning. The more knowledge you acquire, the more empowered you become."

- Katherine Johnson

"Don't be afraid to take risks and embrace challenges. It is through overcoming obstacles that we grow and achieve greatness."

- Katherine Johnson

"The world needs more women in STEM fields. We have unique perspectives and ideas to contribute, and our voices should be heard."

- Katherine Johnson

"Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men."

- Katherine Johnson

"I was excited at something new, always liked something new, but give credit to everybody who helped."

- Katherine Johnson

"Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imaginations than men."

- Katherine Johnson

"You don’t just awaken one day and find yourself a genius in your field. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and sometimes going against societal norms."

- Katherine Johnson

"I worked as if there were 24 hours in a day because discrimination pressed me all day and night."

- Katherine Johnson

"I wasn’t going to let the fear of not being able to do something dominate the rest of my thoughts and my plans."

- Katherine Johnson

"Success is not a stroke of luck. It is a result of relentless effort, hard work and dedication. Sometimes it is about defying societal limitations and breaking norms."

- Katherine Johnson

"It was hard to have somebody else put their door in your face when you’re going for things that you know you’re qualified for."

- Katherine Johnson

"I just try to do my best every day, and I want to be remembered for trying to be the best in my field."

- Katherine Johnson

"I wanted in the work that I was doing with NASA, I wanted to be able to do something to make life a little better for the next generation."

- Katherine Johnson

"Try to be the best version of yourself and give your best to what you are doing."

- Katherine Johnson

"I’m always interested in learning something new."

- Katherine Johnson

"Men don’t pay attention to small things."

- Katherine Johnson

"You can change people’s perceptions by breaking barriers and proving them wrong with your accomplishments."

- Katherine Johnson

"Some say, ‘I don’t bother anybody, and nobody bothers me.’ But that’s not a quote from a leader. We have to accept challenges, be open and honest."

- Katherine Johnson

"If you want to know you ask a question. There’s no such thing as a dumb question, it’s dumb if you don’t ask it."

- Katherine Johnson

"I loved going through those books and learning, especially from others who'd made significant contributions in their field."

- Katherine Johnson

"Life is a journey of learning new things. It is a continuous learning process, so you must always seek out new experiences."

- Katherine Johnson

"I believed I was where I was supposed to be."

- Katherine Johnson

"You should always be interested in something."

- Katherine Johnson

"There’s nothing to it; I was just doing my job."

- Katherine Johnson

"There were times when I had to wait at the same counter until the white customers’ food was ready. So it was very unfair."

- Katherine Johnson