September is Virgo season, and Virgo season blesses us with the birthday of one of the most influential and inspiring women to ever exist: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, mother to Blue, Sir, and Rumi, wife to Jay-Z, and icon to the world.
With over 100 million records sold worldwide and heaps of awards to her name, Queen Bey is the single-most most-awarded artist in MTV VMA award show history and the most nominated woman in Grammy history. (Side note: if you haven’t watched Homecoming on Netflix, now’s the time.)
If you’re ever in a rut, consult these wise words from our Queen to remember that girls do, in fact, run the world.
Beyonce quotes on confidence and power
1. “When I’m not feeling my best I ask myself, ‘What are you gonna do about it?’ I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me.”
2. “Power’s not given to you. You have to take it.”
3. “How you gonna upgrade me? What's higher than number one?”
4. “When you love and accept yourself, when you know who really cares about you, and when you learn from your mistakes, then you stop caring about what people who don’t know you think.”
5. “I wake up looking this good and I wouldn’t change it if I could.”
6. “Your self-worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.”
7. “Power means happiness; power means hard work and sacrifice.”
8. “To me, power is making things happen without asking for permission. It's affecting the way people perceive themselves and the world around them. It's making people stand up with pride.”
9. “It is so liberating to really know what I want, what truly makes me happy, what I will not tolerate. I have learned that it is no one else’s job to take care of me but me.”
Read more: 37 Quotes from Badass Women to Remind You How Awesome Women Are
Beyonce quotes on being an independent woman
10. “We're smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bare the children, then get back to business.”
11. “Diva is a female version of a hustler.”
12. “As the mother of two girls, it’s important to me that they see themselves too—in books, films, and on runways. It’s important to me that they see themselves as CEOs, as bosses, and that they know they can write the script for their own lives—that they can speak their minds and they have no ceiling.”
13. “It’s easy to hear the voices of others and often very difficult to hear your own. Every person you meet is going to want something different from you. The question is, ‘What do you want for yourself?’”
14. “Women have to take the time to focus on our mental health—take time for self, for the spiritual, without feeling guilty or selfish. The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself.”
15. “The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence.”
16. “Take the time to define yourself and define your value. If you’re having a hard time doing that, ask yourself, ‘What is something I would say to someone I love?’”
Beyonce quotes on perfection
17. “I’m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world. I run my world.”
18. “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.”
19. “It’s easy to hear the voices of others and often very difficult to hear your own. Every person you meet is going to want something different from you. The question is: what do you want for yourself?”
20. “Everyone’s not good at everything, it’s okay to depend on someone.”
21. “Don’t try to lessen yourself for the world; let the world catch up to you.”
22. “Be healthy and take care of yourself, but be happy with the beautiful things that make you, you.”
23. “I know I’m stronger in the songs than I really am. Sometimes I need to hear it myself. We all need to hear those empowering songs to remind us.”
Read more:38 Powerful Quotes from Women Who Don't Mess Around
Beyonce quotes on work
24. “Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper.”
25. “I can never be safe; I always try and go against the grain. As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am.”
26. “My biggest thing is to teach not to focus on the aesthetic. It’s really about who you are, and the human being, that makes you beautiful.”
27. “I am accepting of who I am. I will continue to explore every inch of my soul and every part of my artistry. I want to learn more, teach more, and live in full.”
28. “If you work hard, whatever you want, it will come to you. I know that’s easier said than done, but keep trying.”
Beyonce quotes on diversity
29. “Until there is a mosaic of perspectives coming from different ethnicities behind the lens, we will continue to have a narrow approach and view of what the world actually looks like.”
30. “If people in powerful positions continue to hire and cast only people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same neighborhoods they grew up in, they will never have a greater understanding of experiences different from their own....The beauty of social media is it’s completely democratic. Everyone has a say. Everyone’s voice counts, and everyone has a chance to paint the world from their own perspective.”
31. “We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect so that as they grow up gender equality becomes a natural way of life. And we have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible.”
Read more: What is Intersectional Feminism?
