Women had a lot to say in 2014. Here are some of the most memorable quotes of the year

You always hear that actions speak louder than words, and that may very well be true. But words matter, too. Just ask Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who spent a few weeks this year pulling his foot from his mouth after a particularly ill-advised comment on women and raises.

But there were good quotes, too, that came out of 2014. Empowering quotes. From sports icons such as new San Antonio Spurs Assistant Coach Becky Hammon to corporate giants such as GM’s Mary Barra. So we decided to collect some of our favorites from the past year — including some from a few noteworthy men (Nadella included). The whole process left us smiling, empowered and motivated for what we hope will be a phenomenal 2015:


“When I joined an all-boys baseball team, my mom wasn’t too happy. I proved to her (and to me) that I could do anything I set my mind to.”

Mo’Ne Davis, the first girl to throw a shutout in Little League World Series history. The 13-year-old is now working on a memoir.


“You can see it in their eyes. There are men who look at you and say, ‘Oh this is going to be easy’ … After awhile, I would just smile because I knew they were going to be asleep when I was awake, and by the time they realized I was a woman of substance, it would probably be too late.”

Michele Roberts, the first female executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, on being underestimated.


“I was fired because of my quote-unquote management skills. To be honest with you, I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that means.”

Former New York Times Executive Editor Jill Abramson speaking at the Chautauqua Institution in July. Abramson got the axe just a few months earlier, in May.


“You cannot bring women and men into equal positions; that is against nature.”

Turkey’s outspoken President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who took a few shots at businesswomen and the Turkish feminist movement at an international meeting this year that was focused on — wait for it — justice and women.


“Welcome to Cape Cod, President Obama. I nominate you.”

Ethel Kennedy, who at age 86, completed the Ice Bucket Challenge for the ALS Foundation. Her top nominee: the president of the United States.


“It’s not really about asking for a raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will give you the right raise. …It’s good karma. It will come back.”

—Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during a fireside chat at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in November. He later clarified and apologized.


“Ask for the money, ask for the money, ask for the friggin’ money.”

—Wall Street vet and Chair of the Ellevate Network Sallie Krawcheck, in response to Nadella’s comments on whether women should ask for raises.


“It is for those frightened children who want peace … It is for those voiceless children who want change. I am here to stand up for their rights, raise their voice. It is not time to pity them. It is time to take action so it becomes the last time that we see a child deprived of education.”

Malala Yousafzai, the activist who was shot by the Taliban back in 2012, in her speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. At 17, she is the youngest person ever to receive a Nobel Prize.


“Mistakes were made, and the proper protocols were not followed.”

Julia Pierson, the first female director of the U.S. Secret Service, on the security breach at the White House. She resigned in October.


“I’m considering going as hunky Conan O’Brien — but that might be too far-fetched. “

Madeleine Albright, proving she can dole out a Twitter smackdown in a war of 140 characters with the late-night host. What prompted it? Conan tweeted that he had found his Halloween costume: “slutty Madeleine Albright.”


“The more I’ve spoken about feminism, the more I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man hating. …This has to stop. …Feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”

Emma Watson in her speech before the UN launching the HeForShe campaign .


“It somewhat amuses me because I don’t know if any company is that good — that they could select somebody knowing they would have a crisis … And frankly, I think it doesn’t respect the work that women have done to get to the roles they have.”

—GM CEO Mary Barra on talk of the “glass cliff,” the theory that women are hired for big jobs right on the brink of corporate crisis. Clearly, she’s not a fan of the phrase.


“I had dreams, but back then I looked up to Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson… It’s the beauty of the WNBA that now little girls have big girls to look up to. I’ve always been telling the younger players to honor that, take care of that and respect it.”

Becky Hammon, the first full-time female assistant coach in the NBA. She was hired by the San Antonio Spurs in August.


“You walk away from $2 million, OK. (Then) you did it again. The third time, it’s a little hard to justify to your husband.”

Abbie Schiller, founder and CEO of The Mother Company, on rejecting offers from professional investors when she launched her media company focused on children’s emotional education.


“The world is changing, and we’re going to be the ones to change it.”

Jennifer Hyman , co-founder of Rent the Runway, on how the future of the business world rests with millennials— a group in which women will play a key role. Hyman made the comments during AOL’s much-hyped “Makers” documentary.


“Dear candidate: Thank you for your application to our ballet academy. Unfortunately you have not been accepted. You lack the right feet, Achilles tendons, turnout, torso length and bust. You have the wrong body for ballet, and at 13, you are too old to be considered.”

—The voiceover in the Under Armour commercial featuring ballerina Misty Copeland. Those words are pulled from real rejection letters Copeland received early on in her dancing career.


“I think the circumference of the Earth is around 26,000 miles. So 12,300 miles is as far away from Spain as you can get, which seems like roughly halfway around the world from there. And Australia is about as far as you can get from Europe. Then I thought, ‘It’s a capital city. There aren’t that many options.’ Then I thought, ‘Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. The Duke of Wellington is a person who was a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, but I don’t know for sure if he was in Madrid. So I thought of other capitals around there and nothing jumped to mind. Wellington was my best guess.”

—”Jeopardy!” star Julia Collins on the reasoning behind her correct answer in the Final Jeopardy round in the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions in November. In true “Jeopardy!” style, Collins was asked to give the question that preceded this answer: “This capital city, which at 12,330 miles is farthest from Madrid, is named for a soldier who spent time in Madrid.”

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