15 Empowering Quotes from Becoming by Michelle Obama

The voices of women have always been stifled throughout history. Their opinions disregarded, experiences invalidated and their voices unheard. And this has always been achieved by wrongly projecting women as incapable and daft – something that the women have time and time again proved wrong.

For a lot of us, life is just a series of adjustments and compromises. Sometimes, we have to give up on one facet of our lives, change one area in favor of another, with the hope that the latter will do us more good.

Education can turn you into a better person. And there certainly is magic in that. It can make you capable of facing the different challenges that life throws at you, and give you the tools that you need to function in an often chaotic and ruthless society.

If you do not stand up and let the world know who you are. You have to be the one to define yourself and your identity or someone else will do it for you, often inaccurately.

You may not realize it, but the only person responsible for your happiness is you. If you rely on others for gratification and validation, you give them the reins of your life. Learn to be happy with yourself and find joy in the beautiful things in life.

Your life, your story is what you will always have authority over. No one can take that away from you unless you let them. So own up and take control of it before you let someone else write your story for you.

Never let someone else’s opinions about you affect you deeply. You are your own person and no one else has a say in who you are or who you should be. Be the person that you want to be, that you always were. One person’s opinion should not change the way you see yourself.

Progress is not an impossible dream. Nor do you have to dissociate yourself from reality in the journey for progress. One should stay rooted in reality and at the same time, strive for progress.

With success and recognition, you are bound to get more haters in life. People who are envious of your success and desire the same limelight as you, will always aim to pull you down.

Dominance is cruel and ruthless. Those who think they are entitled to dominate over someone else by virtue of their privilege are the most oppressive. They think of others as lowly and place themselves on a self-righteous moral high ground and often end up abusing their power.

The world is, by no means, perfect. There are atrocities, injustice, inequality, disease and so many other problems that plague society. And we can either choose to settle for the way it is, or we can strive for change. We can work for progress and development, for a utopia that may seem out of reach but attainable nonetheless.

The fear of failure is more detrimental than actual failure itself. The constant thought of failure and low confidence must be avoided. It is nothing more than self-doubt that causes this fear and it often escalates into vulnerability.

Life is about progress and growth. You need to be incessantly evolving, adapting to the changing times if you want to stay relevant. Life is not about reaching a particular destination, it is about moving forward continuously and evolving endlessly.

Standing up on your feet for what is right and using your voice loud and clear for what you believe in is empowering on so many levels. Own up to your story, live your life the way you want to, and make history.

Growth is not finite; it is a lifelong process. No matter what your age is, always have the flair for learning, growth, and progress. There is always room for improvement to become a better person.