12 Robust Quotes by Kamala Harris to Inspire Us As Women

Kamala Harris: Kamala Harris became the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African American and first Asian American vice president. Today with her talks around the world, about women, and humanity, she inspires each one of us to get better.

With her do-it attitude and upfront personality, Harris has become an iconic presence among the women serving as someone we can take inspiration from. Breaking the glass ceiling Harris has made a name for herself as a doer.

Here are some quotes by the highest female ranking official that provides us insight into her views and opinions

12 robust quotes by Kamala Harris:

1. On aspiration: “Even in dark times, we not only dream, we do. We not only see what has been, we see what can be. We shoot for the moon, and then we plant our flag on it. We are bold, fearless, and ambitious. We are undaunted in our belief that we shall overcome; that we will rise up. This is American aspiration,” Harris said during the Celebrating America TV special to mark the inauguration.
2. On breaking barriers: "My mother would look at me and she’d say, 'Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last,'" Harris said during a lecture at Spelman College, recalling the motto that's guided her life.
3. On women and equality: "Women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality and liberty and justice for all, including black women who are often too often overlooked but so often prove they are the backbone of our democracy.
4. On immigration: “Imperfect though we may be, I believe we are a great country,” Harris – the child of two immigrant parents – said during her first speech on the Senate floor. “And part of what makes us great is our democratic institutions that protect our fundamental ideals – freedom of religion and the rule of law, protection from discrimination based on national origin, freedom of the press, and a 200-year history as a nation built by immigrants.”
5. On voting: "To everyone keeping up the fight, you are doing something," Harris said in her first speech as the Democratic nominee for vice president. "You are the reason I know we are going to bring our country closer to realizing its great promise. But to do it, we'll need to work, organize, and vote like never before, because we need more than a victory on November 3rd. We need a mandate that proves that the past few years do not represent who we are or who we aspire to be."
6. On abortion: “We cannot tolerate a perspective that is about going backward and not understanding women have agency. Women have value. Women have the authority to make decisions about their own lives and their own bodies.
7. On COVID-19: “This virus has impacted almost every country, but there’s a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation. It’s because of Trump’s failure to take it seriously from the start, his refusal to get testing up to and running, his flip-flopping on social distancing and wearing masks, his delusional belief that he knows better than the experts. All of that is the reason that an American dies of COVID-19 every 80 seconds.
8. On being a "first": "I hope that by being a 'first,' I inspire young people to pursue their dreams," Harris told Harper's Bazaar. "The number of times I’ve heard the word 'no'—or that something can’t be done—in my life is too many to count. I’m honored to be considered a “first,” but I always think about the people who came before and paved the way for me to get where I am today."
9. On racism: “Let’s speak the truth: People are protesting because Black people have been treated as less than human in America. Because our country has never fully addressed the systemic racism that has plagued our country since its earliest days. It is the duty of every American to fix. No longer can some wait on the sidelines, hoping for incremental change. In times like this, silence is complicity,” she wrote in an op-ed for Cosmopolitan.
10. On issues of Black Women: “It’s interesting, because as the first Black woman elected to the many positions I’ve been elected to, I am often in rooms, and have been in rooms, where a reporter or someone else will come up to me and they’ll say, ‘So, talk to us about Black women’s issues.’ And I’ll look at them and think, ‘You know what, I am so glad you want to talk about the economy.’ Or sometimes say, ‘I am so glad you want to talk about national security.’ Because what we know is this: yes, there are issues that explicitly impact the Black community."
11. On ambition: “There will be people who say to you, ‘You are out of your lane,’” Harris said during the 2020 Black Girls Lead conference. “They are burdened by only having the capacity to see what has always been instead of what can be. But don't you let that burden you.”
12. On imposter syndrome: “You never have to ask anyone permission to lead,” Harris said to two young women at a rally in Iowa last year. “I want you to remember that, OK? When you want to lead, you lead.”