Throughout history, women have reshaped society through the power of words. From Elizabeth I to Amanda Gorman, women’s voices have resonated through the centuries, pointing to potent truths and nudging humanity toward higher ground.
Today, it’s easier than ever to find transcripts and recordings of these transformative words — Rev’s transcript library has a wealth of them on file. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some of the most famous speeches by women to get you started on your search.
1. Sojourner Truth — “Ain’t I a Woman?”
Sojourner Truth’s famous pre-Civil War speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” has cemented its place in U.S. history for a reason. An historic statement on both abolition and women’s rights, her comments at the Women’s Rights Convention of 1851 in Akron, Ohio, came after she escaped slavery. She may have ended with “old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say,” but her words still resonate in every call for equality for women and Black Americans today.
2. Malala Yousafzi — Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance
Malala Yousafzi was only 17 when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the youngest-ever recipient of the award. Her activism for every child to receive an education has been especially transformative for young girls in Pakistan.
“Let this be the last time that a girl or a boy spends their childhood in a factory,” she urged in her 2014 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. “Let this be the last time that a girl is forced into early child marriage.”
Her vision hasn’t yet come true, and that means her words are still as important as ever.
3. Michelle Obama — On the Importance of Educating Girls and Gender Equality
In the summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at the 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit, adding her voice to the calls for equal access to education for girls and young women. As it became obvious that the pandemic would only exacerbate injustices, Obama’s words were pointed and clear:
“When we give girls the chance to learn, we give them the opportunity to fulfill their potential, build healthier families, and contribute to their country’s economies for generations to come.”
4. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — “We Should All Be Feminists”
Just a year before the Black Lives Matter movement called for specific language about Black equality, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie did the same for women’s rights. In her 2012 TedTalk “We Should All Be Feminists,” the Nigerian author exhorted listeners to speak clearly about the struggles of women, in particular, not just humans in general.
Her words were influential enough at the time, but they were soon immortalized when Beyoncé sampled them in her 2013 song, “Flawless.”
5. Hillary Clinton — “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights”
Early in her tenure as First Lady, Hillary Clinton gave one of the most famous female speeches — and an enduring statement on women’s rights. Speaking at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, she spoke out against worldwide injustices toward women, defying pressures to tone down her language.
“Now it is the time to act on behalf of women everywhere,” she declared. “If we take bold steps to better the lives of women, we will be taking bold steps to better the lives of children and families too.”
6. Emma Watson — HeForShe Campaign
She may have worked her way into pop culture as Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter films, but Emma Watson proved with this speech she would do much more with her fame.
Speaking at the 2014 launch of the United Nations’ HeForShe Campaign, the actress and activist gave an impassioned plea for equal rights, urging men to join the fight on behalf of every woman. A decade later, her words have earned their rightful place among the most important calls for gender equality.
7. Susan B. Anthony — “On Women’s Right to Vote”
This far removed, it’s easy to forget how prolonged the struggle for women’s suffrage was. A right that seems obvious today only came to fruition after countless courageous women spoke out and called for change. Susan B. Anthony’s speech “On Women’s Right to Vote,” which she delivered many times when campaigning for women’s right to vote in the late 19th century, paved the way for the 19th Amendment decades before it was ratified.
Anthony’s most famous line is still often quoted today, and could apply to many other Civil Rights movements: “It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union.”
8. Emmeline Pankhurst — “Freedom or Death”
The battle for voting rights was equally alive across the pond in the early 20th century. There, activists like Emmeline Pankhurst led the way. But in 1913, she spoke in the U.S. at Harvard University, imploring women to raise their voices as often and as loudly as possible. The only way to make change happen was to force those in power to choose between giving the powerless “freedom or death.”
Women would vote for the first time in the U.K. just five years later, followed by U.S. women the next year.
9. Amanda Gorman — “The Hill We Climb”
Perhaps the most famous speech by a woman in the past few years, Amanda Gorman’s poem The Hill We Climb during President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 is particularly memorable for its timing. Just a few weeks after an attempted insurrection and only a year into a deadly pandemic, America was dazed, weary, and uncertain.
Into that moment, Gorman’s voice reverberated with hope:
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We’ve braved the belly of the beast
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
10. Maya Angelou — “On the Pulse of the Morning”
Before Amanda Gorman, there was Maya Angelou — the first Black woman to read a poem at a U.S. presidential inauguration. Her rhythmic, stately delivery at the Clinton inauguration in 1993 is now legendary. More than a poem, it riveted the crowd like a sermon, bringing together Biblical imagery, the spirit of jazz and blues, and Clinton’s uniquely Southern appeal.
In perhaps its most famous lines, “On the Pulse of the Morning” hearkened back to Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Lift up your eyes upon
This day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.
11. Severn Suzuki — Speech to the UN Earth Summit in Rio
It’s not often that a 12-year-old captures the attention of a room full of politicians. Yet, Severn Suzuki’s speech to the United Nations earned her the title of “The Girl Who Silenced the World for Five Minutes.”
Speaking for the Environmental Children’s Organization (ECO) in 1992, a young Suzuki highlighted the devastation humans were causing to the planet in no uncertain terms. She took the mantle that far too many adults had forsaken, calling for harmony between words and action in the fight against climate change.
12. Greta Thunberg — UN Speech on Climate Change
Over 25 years later, a 16-year-old Great Thurnberg followed in Suzuki’s footsteps, speaking at the Climate Action Summit in 2019. With her chilling opening lines, “We’ll be watching you,” she vowed that a whole new generation of climate activists would hold those in power to account.
“People are suffering,” she went on. “People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!”
13. Brené Brown — “The Power of Vulnerability”
“The Power of Vulnerability” is the 2010 Houston Ted Talk that catapulted Brené Brown to popularity as a leading advocate for a different kind of leadership. In her view, instead of hiding weaknesses and shoring up power, leaders should embrace the power of openness and vulnerability.
As Brown put it, “We just need you to be authentic and real and say, ‘We’re sorry. We’ll fix it.’” That call to authenticity and responsibility still speaks to leaders of all stripes today.
14. Elizabeth I — The Tilbury Speech
When England faced the Spanish Armada in 1588, the outlook was grim. Many thought this small island nation didn’t stand a chance against the powerful forces of Spain, and an invasion seemed imminent. But Queen Elizabeth I gave a speech that set a different tone, paving the way for victory in the battle — and in the long-term war.
“I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman,” she said, “but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm.”
What Is the Most Famous Speech About Women’s Rights?
Sojourner Truth’s legendary “Ain’t I a Woman” speech stands out among the most famous historical speeches by women, given its context amid the rising tensions around slavery and growing discontent about the state of women’s rights in the U.S. Truth’s unique story as a former slave who rose to such prominence added immense weight to her words, and she laid the foundation not only for abolition but the women’s suffrage movement that followed.
Of course, there are countless women’s rights speeches on record, and each has had a powerful impact in its own right. Deciding on the most famous one depends largely on individual opinion and historical context.
Capture the Words of Famous Women Speakers To Come
These are just a few of the most famous speeches by women — and many others have inspired millions throughout history. Now, thanks to the power of automated transcription, it’s easier than ever to preserve these historic moments and pass them on to future generations. Tools like Rev’s AI transcription software can produce incredibly accurate speech-to-text renditions of memorable speeches, preserving every word to inspire millions more for decades to come.
