March is Women’s History Month, and this year we’re celebrating by reflecting on the wise words Latinas have shared about everything from womanhood to activism to representation.
Though there are plenty other Latinas from whom we can learn, the following words from these 12 women are a good place to start.
Without further ado, here are 12 empowering and inspirational quotes from some pretty kickass Latinas.
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If we missed any of your own personal faves, share them with us in the comment section below.
Zoe Saldana On A Woman’s Inherent Strength
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"Women aren't wimpy... They can f**cking save the day! -- Zoe Saldana, actress
America Ferrera On Solidarity Among Women
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"When I stopped thinking of other women as competition to me, and started thinking about them as partners in life, when that happened for me as a young woman, my whole experience of life changed." -- America Ferrera, actress and producer
Gina Torres On The Importance Of Strong Female Characters
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“It's important to have strong images of women out there, women who aren't afraid of expressing themselves, women who aren't afraid of taking chances, women who aren't afraid of their own power." -- Gina Torres, actress
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Sandra Cisneros On Becoming Chingona
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"It takes a long time for women to feel it’s alright to bechingona. To aspire to be a chingona... You are saying, 'This is my camino. This is my path and I’m gonna follow it, regardless of what culture says.'" -- Sandra Cisneros, Chicana author
Eva Perón On A Woman's Strength
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“I know that, like every woman of the people, I have more strength than I appear to have.” — Eva Perón, First Lady of Argentina from 1946 to 1952
Dolores Huerta On Survival
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"Among poor people, there's not any question about women being strong -- even stronger than men -- they work in the fields right along with the men. When your survival is at stake, you don't have these questions about yourself like middle-class women do." -- Dolores Huerta, labor leader and civil rights activist
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Gina Rodriguez On Not Letting Anyone Define Who She Is
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"I am not defined by the fact that my parents speak Spanish or that my skin color is brown. I'm defined by my character, and my character is a strong woman that's independent, that's following her dreams, that wants love, that wants a family, that wants to succeed just like anybody else in this world."-- Gina Rodriguez, actress
Berta Cáceres On Saving Ourselves And The World We Live In
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“We must shake our conscience free of the rapacious capitalism, racism and patriarchy that will only assure our own self-destruction.” — Berta Cáceres, Honduran environmental and indigenous rights activist.
Salma Hayek On What Feminism Means To Her
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“I am a feminist because I love women and I am ready to fight for women. I am a feminist because I am proud to be a woman, and I am passionate about making the world a better place for women. I am a feminist because a lot of amazing women have made me the woman I am today."-- Salma Hayek, actress and activist
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Isabel Allende On Empowering Women To Help Families
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“Giving women education, work, the ability to control their own income, inherit and own property, benefits the society. If a woman is empowered, her children and her family will be better off. If families prosper, the village prospers, and eventually so does the whole country.” -- Isabel Allende, Chilean author
Sonia Sotomayor On Proving Haters Wrong
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“In every position that I’ve been in, there have been naysayers who don’t believe I’m qualified or who don’t believe I can do the work. And I feel a special responsibility to prove them wrong.” -- Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Selenis Leyva On What Makes A Woman "Real"
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"A Real Woman changes the world with her courage. A Real Woman will remain relevant when her youth and beauty are gone. A Real Woman is beautiful and sexy. A Real Woman is every woman. Big, small, dark, fair, blonde, brunette, Latina, black, caucasian, Asian, old and all of the above.”-- Selenis Leyva, actress
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