A new year is here, and with it another chance to start fresh, be bold or at the very least, bravely put one foot in front of the other. That can, of course, be far easier said than done, which is why we’re turning to 15 of our favorite badass women, for some of their best (and, well, badass) advice.
Here are 15 nuggets to help you start off 2015 with a bang:
1. “Of course you can have it all. What are you going to do? Everything, is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it will be like, but surprises are good for you. And don’t be frightened: You can always change your mind. I know: I’ve had four careers and three husbands.” — Nora Ephron
2. “I think life is always dangerous. Some people get afraid of it. Some people don’t go forward. But some people, if they want to achieve their goal, they have to go. They have to move …” — Malala Yousafzai
3. “Pressure is a privilege … it’s what you do with it that matters.” — Billie Jean King
4. “Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.” — Shonda Rhimes
5. “When you stumble, keep faith. And when you’re knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can’t or shouldn’t go on.” — Hillary Clinton
6. “I’ve been on the floor and I’ve been heartbroken. I didn’t know how I was going to stand up. But I just gave it time.” — Sandra Bullock
7. “You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.” — Dolly Parton
8. “Some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.” — J.K. Rowling
9. “I am a woman with thoughts and questions and shit to say. I say if I’m beautiful. I say if I’m strong. You will not determine my story — I will.” – Amy Schumer
10. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” — Maya Angelou
11. “Do stuff. Be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead … Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention. It’s all about taking in as much of what’s out there as you can, and not letting the excuses and the dreariness of some of the obligations you’ll soon be incurring narrow your lives.” — Susan Sontag
12. “When faced with sexism or ageism or lookism or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following question: ‘Is this person in between me and what I want to do?’ If the answer is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and outpacing people that way.” — Tina Fey
13. “Hope is a very unruly emotion.” — Gloria Steinem
14. “You have to make mistakes to find out who you aren’t. You take the action, and the insight follows: You don’t think your way into becoming yourself.” — Anne Lamott
15. “You fail, and then what? Life goes on. It’s only when you risk failure that you discover things.” — Lupita Nyong’o
