Inspiring Women in Literature

Growing up I loved to read – I voraciously devoured any book I could get my hands on. Most afternoons I was stumbling through Middle Earth with Bilbo and his gang of not-so-merry dwarves or delving into J.K. Rowling’s entrancing world of wizardry. So it’s no surprise that I credit authors and the universes they created with making me the person I am today.

I learned to accept my inherit know-it-all nature (and my frizzy hair) thanks to Hermione Granger, Eowyn taught me to challenge the status quo, and Princess Elizabeth from the Paper Bag Princess was my first real introduction to bravery.

Female heroes in stories formed who I am, but that only happened because someone put pen to paper and created exceptional characters.

I thought, in honour of International Women’s Day, I would share some of my favourite quotes from female writers in hopes of inspiring other people.

Some of these are things the writers themselves have said, while others come straight from the mouths of their characters.

“A word after a word after a word is power.”
Margaret Atwood
Spelling

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through not matter what.”
Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
Ayn Rand

“Have you ever seen a little girl run so fast she falls down? There's an instant, a fraction of a second before the world catches hold of her again... A moment when she's outrun every doubt and fear she's ever had about herself and she flies. In that one moment, every little girl flies. I need to find that again. Like taking a car out into the desert to see how fast it can go, I need to find the edge of me... And maybe, if I fly far enough, I'll be able to turn around and look at the world... And see where I belong.”
Kelly Sue DeConnick
Captain Marvel #1

“You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.”
Toni Morrison
Song of Solomon

“Some people say, “Never let them see you cry.” I say, if you’re so mad you could just cry, then cry. It terrifies everyone.”
Tina Fey
Bossypants

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

“It's not just children who need heroes.”
Tamora Pierce

“I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.”
Jane Austen
Persuasion

“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