If you read the news and/or have a Facebook or Twitter account, you have probably heard that Senator Elizabeth Warren was recently silenced on the Senate floor while speaking in opposition of the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. When Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recounted the incident he stated, “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.” In saying that, McConnell unintentionally created a rally cry for the women’s movement. “Nevertheless, she persisted” has become an internet phenomenon, appearing in memes and a variety of social media posts. As a woman who identifies as a feminist, I’ll take it. Inspiring women throughout history were able to accomplish what they did because they refused to give up. On that note, I’d like to share some of my favorite quotes from women who persisted.

Malala Yousafzai

“I raise up my voice not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot succeed when half of us are held back.”

“Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons.”

Rosa Parks

“Knowing what must be done does away with fear.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“The best protection any woman can have… is courage.”

Ellen DeGeneres

“I learned compassion from being discriminated against. Everything bad that’s ever happened to me has taught me compassion.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Harper Lee

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.”

Susan B. Anthony

"Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.”

Florence Nightingale

“I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse.”

Marie Curie

“I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.”

Billie Jean King

“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”

Amelia Earhart

“Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others.”

Margaret Atwood

“I hope that people will finally come to realize that there is only one ‘race’ – the human race – and that we are all members of it.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her that meant be your own person, be independent.”

Elizabeth Warren

“What I’ve learned is that real change is very, very hard. But I’ve also learned that change is possible – if you fight for it.”