March 1 marks the start of Women’s History Month 2021 which acknowledges how far women have come over the years and is a celebration of all females.

It started with a women’s history week in 1978 in Sonoma, California. There were different events and activities its school district hosted that focused primarily on the successes of women and the obstacles they have overcome, History.com explained.

In 1987, the celebration became a month-long affair after the National Women’s History Project petitioned to Congress, making March Women’s History Month.

Over the years, there have been sayings shared by thousands of influential women that continue to lift others up. In honor of them, here are nine quotes (from Woman's Day) from them to live by.

  1. “Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got. There is no yesterday, no tomorrow, it’s all the same day.” — Janis Joplin
  2. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
  3. “What makes you different or weird, that’s your strength.” — Meryl Streep
  4. “I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values — and follow my own moral compass — then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own.” — Michelle Obama
  5. “Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent. You will be amazed at how your whole approach to a person or problem becomes very different.” — Indra Nooyi
  6. “Amazing things happen when women help other women.” — Kasia Gospos
  7. “Practice creates confidence. Confidence empowers you.” — Simone Biles
  8. “Doubt is a killer. You just have to know who you are and what you stand for.” — Jennifer Lopez
  9. “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” — Audre Lorde
Michelle Obama
Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks during a When We All Vote's National Week of Action rally at the Watsco Center at the University of Miami on Sept. 28, 2018, in Coral Gables, Florida. Getty Images/Joe Raedle