During her time in public life Hillary Rodham Clinton has given more speeches, written more letters and given more interviews than one would probably care to count.
Poised and prepared, Clinton addresses school kids, senators and world leaders with the same amount of enthusiasm and passion that leaves a meaningful impression on anyone who cares to tune in.
Here are some of the most memorable pearls of wisdom she’s passed on through her words…
“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.” – Hillary Clinton, giving a speech as the First Lady of the United States, on 5 September 1995, at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
“Fear is always with us be we just don’t have time for it. Not now.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton speaking at her 1969 commencement at Wellesley College.
“In too many instances, the march to globalisation has also meant the marginalisation of women and girls. And that must change.”
“If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle.”
“Forgiveness is a way of opening up the doors again and moving forward, whether it’s a personal life or a national life.”
“I think that you can disagree with people and debate over their positions with issues without engaging in the politics of personal destruction.”
“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world. “
“You show people what you’re willing to fight for when you fight your friends”
“It is past time for women to take their rightful place, side by side with men, in the rooms where the fates of peoples, where their children’s and grandchildren’s fates, are decided.”
“Dignity does not come from avenging insults, especially from violence that can never be justified. It comes from taking responsibility and advancing our common humanity.”
“Everybody has setbacks in their life, and everybody falls short of whatever goals they might set for themselves. That’s part of living and coming to terms with who you are as a person.”
“You know, everybody has setbacks in their life, and everybody falls short of whatever goals they might set for themselves. That’s part of living and coming to terms with who you are as a person.”
“I think that if you live long enough, you realise that so much of what happens in life is out of your control, but how you respond to it is in your control. That’s what I try to remember.”
“The worst thing that can happen in a democracy – as well as in an individual’s life – is to become cynical about the future and lose hope.”
“We should remember that just as a positive outlook on life can promote good health, so can everyday acts of kindness.”
“The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election while the statesman think about the next generation.”
“Do all the good you can, for all the people can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.”
“Every moment wasted looking back, keeps us from moving forward…In this world and the world of tomorrow, we must go forward together or not at all.”
“There cannot be true democracy unless women’s voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country.”
“Whether I am meant to or not, I challenge assumptions about women. I do make some people uncomfortable, which I’m well aware of, but that’s just part of coming to grips with what I believe is still one of the most important pieces of unfinished business in human history—empowering women to be able to stand up for themselves.”