Inspirational Quotes for Young Girls: Sourced Lines From Books, Speeches and Plays

Inspirational quotes for young girls are short lines about confidence, courage and curiosity, and the most reliable ones come from children’s books, plays and speeches with a named speaker. Every quote below has a source, and the common misattributions are noted at the end.

Quotes about being brave

“And though she be but little, she is fierce.”

— Helena, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, Act 3, Scene 2

Helena says this about Hermia during a quarrel. In context it is half an insult, but it is the line most often used for small, determined girls and it is in the public domain.

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living (1960)

Roosevelt wrote this in a chapter on fear. She says that each time you meet a fear and get through it, you gain strength.

Quotes about learning and education

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”

— Malala Yousafzai, address to the United Nations Youth Assembly, July 12, 2013

Malala gave the speech on her sixteenth birthday, nine months after she was shot for attending school in Pakistan. It is a good quote for a classroom because the situation behind it is documented.

Quotes from stories girls read

Lines from well-known books give a speaker and a scene that a child can recognize.

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

— The White Queen, Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, Chapter 5

The Queen tells Alice that practice makes it possible to believe impossible things. Alice says that one cannot believe impossible things, and the Queen answers that she has not had much practice.

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”

— Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery, Chapter 21

“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”

— E. B. White, Charlotte’s Web, Chapter 22

This is the closing passage of the book. It works as a note about friendship for a girl who likes to write.

Misattributed lines

“Well-behaved women seldom make history” is credited to Marilyn Monroe and others. It comes from historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, in a 1976 scholarly article, and it was originally a plain observation about how little history records ordinary lives.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” is credited to Gandhi without a source.

Using these quotes

For a card or a bedroom wall, the Shakespeare and Carroll lines are short. For school, Malala’s speech and Anne’s line both come with an easy story to tell. A related sourced page for younger readers is empathy quotes for kids, and for reading, reading quotes for kids. For girls who find school hard, growth mindset quotes for kids may help.

FAQ

What does “though she be but little, she is fierce” mean?

It means that someone small can be determined and fierce. Helena says it with some bitterness about Hermia, but it is now used as praise.

Who said “one child, one teacher, one book, one pen”?

Malala Yousafzai, in her speech to the UN Youth Assembly in July 2013.

Is the Marilyn Monroe “well-behaved women” quote real?

No. It was written by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in a 1976 article and was later put on posters and sometimes credited to Monroe.

What age are these quotes for?

The Carroll, White and Montgomery lines suit ages 6 to 10. Roosevelt and Malala suit older girls who can read the context.