Women's quotes: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

"If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough."  

–– Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (b. 1938), Liberian politician and Africa's first female president 

Women's quotes: Helen Frankenthaler

"I'd rather risk an ugly surprise than rely on things I know I can do." 

–– Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), American abstract expressionist painter

Women's quotes: Serena Williams

"I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they recover when they fall."

–– Serena Williams (b. 1981), American professional tennis player

Women's quotes: Toni Morrison

"You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down." 

–– Toni Morrison (1931-2019), American novelist

from Song of Solomon 

Women's quotes: Agnes Martin

"Many artists live socially without disturbance to mind, but others must live the inner experience of mind, a solitary way of living."

–– Agnes Martin (1912-2004), Canadian-born American abstract painter 

via Sketchbook 11, 2010, p. 86

Women's quotes: Anne Hines

"Creating is a prayer comprised entirely of listening." 

–– Anne Hines, Canadian writer and minister

Quote from Anne Hines. Parting Gifts: Notes on Loss, Love, and Life. 2009, p. 62.

via Sketchbook 11, 2010, p. 33

Women's quotes: Helen Keller

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."

–– Helen Keller (1880-1968), American author, disability rights advocate, political activist, and lecturer 

via Sketchbook 11, 2010, p. 23