--- description: Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, turns 69 today, here are 10 of her most inspiring quotes. title: 10 Inspiring Hillary Clinton Quotes in Honor of Her Birthday image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94f536926541b3a5/6988ab8ecf40a84226c454df/hillary-clinton-birthday-quotes.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 10 Inspiring Hillary Clinton Quotes in Honor of Her Birthday by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 26, 2016 1:25 PM CUT by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 26, 2016 1:25 PM CUT [Hillary Clinton](http://time.com/hillary-clinton-photographs "undefined") has broken a decent amount of barriers in her life. As the former First Lady, New York Senator, and Secretary of State, the Democratic presidential nominee has dealt with a barrage of criticism but also enjoyed a ton of success. Undoubtedly, most of her wins are due to her positive outlook on life (the fact that she’s accomplished most of her goals in a [remarkable ensemble of pantsuits](http://motto.time.com/4431032/dnc-hillary-clinton-white-pantsuit-meaning/ "undefined") is just gravy). So as Clinton turns 69 today — just 13 short days before election day — here are some of her most empowering quotes from throughout her illustrious career to help inspire you to keep cracking through that glass ceiling too. **On equality for women:** “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely – and the right to be heard.” _(_[U.N. 4th World Conference on Women](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V9mHmeK7XM "undefined"), 1995) **On creating equal opportunities:** “When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit. So let’s keep going, until every one of the 161 million women and girls across America has the opportunity she deserves.” ([Democratic National Convention](http://time.com/4429984/dnc-hillary-clinton-speech-video-transcript/ "undefined"), July 2016) **On career advice:** ”Don’t confuse having a career with having a life. They are not the same.” ([Howard University Commencement Speech](http://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/27/us/words-of-wisdom-for-the-nation-s-graduates.html "undefined"), 1998) **On breaking the glass ceiling:** “So yes, yes, there are still ceilings to break – for women and men, for all of us. But don’t let anyone tell you that great things can’t happen in America. Barriers can come down. Justice and equality can win.” ([Democratic nomination victory speech](http://time.com/4361099/hillary-clinton-nominee-speech-transcript/ "undefined"), June 2016) **On being a strong woman:** “I have always believed that women are not victims, we are agents of change, we are drivers of progress, we are makers of peace — all we need is a fighting chance.” ([Women in the World Summit](https://hillaryspeeches.com/2013/11/04/women-in-the-world-summit/ "undefined"), 2013) **On looking out for one another: “No one gets through life alone. We have to look out for each other and lift each other up.” (**[**Democratic National Convention**](http://time.com/4429984/dnc-hillary-clinton-speech-video-transcript/ "undefined")**, July 2016)** **On the woman card:** “Well, if fighting for women’s health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the women’s card, then deal me in.” ([Philadelphia rally](http://time.com/4309313/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-woman-card-general-election/ "undefined"), April 2016) > [](https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/725133247395598336) **On strong values:** “To be great, we can’t be small. We have to be as big as the values that define America.”([Democratic nomination victory speech](http://time.com/4361099/hillary-clinton-nominee-speech-transcript/ "undefined"), June 2016) **On encouraging young girls to achieve their dreams:** “We can build an America where every father can say to his daughter you can grow up to be president of the United States.” ([Ohio rally](http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/09/10/Clinton%5Fin%5FColumbus.html "undefined"), 2015) **On being fearless:** “Fear is always with us but we just don’t have time for it. Not now.” ([Wellesley Commencement speech](http://time.com/4359618/hillary-clinton-wellesley-commencement-transcript/ "undefined"), 1969) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4545366/hillary-clinton-birthday-quotes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4545366/hillary-clinton-birthday-quotes/"},"headline":"10 Inspiring Hillary Clinton Quotes in Honor of Her Birthday","datePublished":"2016-10-26T13:25:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-24T06:57:02.504Z","description":"'Fear is always with us but we just don’t have time for it. 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