By Heather Chaet

The disposable diaper. Chocolate chip cookies. Trash cans you can open with your foot. All of these things have one thing in common: They were invented by women -- Marion Donovan, Ruth Wakefield, and Lillian Gilbreth, respectively.

Why not take time today to celebrate great women who changed the world? We gathered 14 inspiring quotes from women who made (and some who continue to make) an invaluable impact on society.

Image ©iStock.com/FrancescoCorticchia

“The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” -- Rosa Parks, civil rights activist

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” -- Marie Curie, scientist and the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to have won that award twice

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” -- Anne Frank, Holocaust victim and writer

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." -- Maya Angelou, poet and author

“I have the right of education. I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up.” -- Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -- Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest-serving first lady of the United States

“You are extraordinary within your limits, but your limits are extraordinary!” -- Gertrude Stein, writer

“We are continually faced with great opportunities, which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.” -- Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist

“The expert at anything was once a beginner.” -- Helen Hayes, actress and one of 12 people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award (an EGOT)

“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” -- Ruth Bader Ginsberg, justice of the United States Supreme Court

“Never do things others can do and will do, if there are things others cannot do or will not do.” -- Amelia Earhart, first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

“It isn't where you came from; it's where you're going that counts.” -- Ella Fitzgerald, jazz vocalist often referred to as the “Queen of Jazz”

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” -- Edith Wharton, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist

“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, novelist

What is your favorite quote by a woman who changed the world?

Heather Chaet documents her mini parenting successes, epic mommy fails, and everything in between for a plethora (love that word!) of publications and websites such as CafeMom, New York Family, and AdWeek. While her online persona is found at heatherchaet.com, Heather lives in New York City with her film director husband and one insanely curious, cat-obsessed daughter.

You may also like:

25 Quotes to Inspire Our Daughters

My Secret to Raising a Confident Daughter

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“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, novelist

What is your favorite quote by a woman who changed the world?

Heather Chaet documents her mini parenting successes, epic mommy fails, and everything in between for a plethora (love that word!) of publications and websites such as CafeMom, New York Family, and AdWeek. While her online persona is found at heatherchaet.com, Heather lives in New York City with her film director husband and one insanely curious, cat-obsessed daughter.

You may also like:

25 Quotes to Inspire Our Daughters

My Secret to Raising a Confident Daughter

16 Uplifting Quotes for Your Hardest Parenting Days