A curated register of quotes from under-represented voices.

“ Hope will never be silent. ”

— Harvey Milk

“ When they go low, we go high. ”

— Michelle Obama, 2016

“ The secret of our success is that we never, ever give up. ”

— Wilma Mankiller

“ The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. ”

— Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 2011

“ If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair. ”

— Shirley Chisholm

“ We are still here. The will to survive is engrained in us, passed down through the generations by our ancestors. ”

— Deb Haaland, 2021

“ I am going to keep saying that I am a feminist until it is met with a shrug. ”

— Justin Trudeau, 2016

“ Real men don't hurt women. ”

— Barack Obama, 2014

“ Representation matters, not only representation mattering for Indigenous people, but also for people who are just everyday Americans. ”

— Deb Haaland, 2021

“ Having such a diverse group of people coming into Congress is going to make a difference, because no matter if your experience is very similar to mine or completely different than mine, it's just as real and it's just as valid. ”

— Sharice Davids, 2018

“ It always seems impossible until it's done. ”

— Nelson Mandela

“ You may be the first, but make sure you're not the last. ”

— Kamala Harris, 2020

“ Women can help turn the world right side up. We bring a more collaborative approach to government. And if we do not participate, then the decisions will be made without us. ”

— Wilma Mankiller, 1993

“ The most important attribute of leadership is to trust yourself and believe in your own thinking. ”

— Wilma Mankiller

“ I've always held on to that America that I know, that I love, that does welcome refugees with open arms. ”

— Ilhan Omar, 2019

“ You gotta give them hope. ”

— Harvey Milk, 1977

“ Voter suppression is real. From making it harder to register and stay on the rolls to moving and closing polling places to rejecting lawful ballots, we can no longer ignore these threats to democracy. ”

— Stacey Abrams, 2018

“ Voting rights for me are the point of entry to democracy. ”

— Stacey Abrams, 2021

“ If me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade. ”

— Pete Buttigieg, 2019

“ Success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives. ”

— Michelle Obama

“ Each time a man stands up for an ideal, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. ”

— Robert F. Kennedy, 1966