Breaking the Glass Ceiling Quotes

There's really no precedent for someone like me gaining clout in the space that I'm in - a black woman directing films in Hollywood.

Nothing bad happens when women are in positions of power.

The most significant barrier to female leadership is the actual lack of females in leadership. The best advice I can give to women is to go out and start something, ideally their own businesses. If you can't see a path for leadership within your own company, go blaze a trail of your own.

I firmly believe in the old adage 'Actions speak louder than words.' This means proactively seeking women for roles within boards, identifying opportunities for diversity within teams, and finding ways to use your platform to mentor women - and then encourage them to do the same.

There have always been women who were successful against the odds. Now we need to change the odds so more women can be successful.

Innovating Women is more important today than ever. Things are changing for the better. The recent announcements by Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo, and Facebook of their diversity numbers—and a pledge to improve these—are the most recent victories. The Boys Club is under fire and is trying to reform itself. Women are achieving success and helping each other. Advancing technologies are leveling the playing field. Women are in the catbird seat for the new era of exponential innovation. This is the time to inspire and motivate—and that is what Innovating Women will surely do.

We can no longer ignore that voice within women that says: "I want something more than my husband and my children and my home ...." And work can now be seen as the key to the problem that has no name.

Things are difficult for outsiders in the industry, and it is very evident, too. It does not mean that insiders have it easy or that it's impossible for outsiders to break in. More often than not, the difference is about how successes and failures are viewed and magnified.

The American people are very, very ready for a woman president. They're far ahead of the politicians. I always thought it would be much easier to elect a woman president of the United States than Speaker of the House, because the people are far ahead, as I say, of the electeds, on the subject of a woman being president.

I think it's hard when you're a woman because the music industry is way more masculine than feminine, so you have to make your own space and fight for it.

I do think that she [Hillary Clinton] will prove that she's the best, whether she's in the White House or somewhere else. I think it will very much be a historic moment, when we are able to say that we actually have done something like put a woman in the White House. Its very interesting to think about considering its taken us long as it has.

You have to give kids from ordinary families a ladder. You have to show them there's a way out.

I think, when I was a young lawyer starting out, I was so determined to prove that I was as good as the men and that I could be given the same opportunities as the men, and it wouldn't make any difference at all that I was a woman. But actually, looking back on it now, I did do things that I wouldn't recommend to other women at all.

I was never lined up outside of my bosses office saying 'Give me an opportunity; there's not a woman in primetime'... I was just trying to be so good they couldn't ignore me.

What's more important than who's going to be the first black manager is who's going to be the first black sports editor of the New York Times.

I love beating the men. When I beat 'em in the ratings, when I beat 'em in the salary, I always say, 'One more for the girls.'

If we took away barriers to women's leadership, we would solve the climate change problem a lot faster

Human beings are no longer born to their place in life

Women shouldn't aspire to a box or a title. They should look toward being leaders.

We need to make everyone more aware of the benefits of empowering women. Then I think we can succeed faster. Because it's one thing to achieve success, and another to repeat success. That's the job of a leader. Promoting women leadership and creating a more level playing field is a huge enabler to repeat success.

I truly believe that before I retire from public office, I'll be voting for a woman for president.

In an industry still dominated by men, working with a female director on an episode written by a woman, helmed by a female showrunner, all while doing scenes with your screen sister is like getting to see the big five at the wild animal park. It's awesome.

When I entered the workforce, I was frustrated. When you're starting your career, somebody else is 'The Man' or 'The Woman.' They go into a room and make the decision, not you. You don't feel empowered. I wanted to break through that.

Using the Africanist model, each generation should take the family name to a higher place. My father's folks were sharecroppers in South Carolina. He went to Harlem. They were still poor, but they moved up. If my parents didn't do this and offer me this background, I wouldn't be here.

We struggled for years before we got that record deal. It was tough because we were girls. People were slamming doors in our faces for years.