Famous Men and Women Quotes in English

Here are some famous quotes about men and women, along with explanations of their meanings and examples to illustrate them:


1. "A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water." — Eleanor Roosevelt

  • Meaning: Women's strength and resilience often reveal themselves in challenging situations.

  • Example: During a family crisis, a woman may rise to the occasion, showing strength and leadership she hadn’t shown before.


2. "The measure of a man is what he does with power." — Plato

  • Meaning: True character is shown by how someone acts when they have control or authority, revealing their moral fiber.

  • Example: A manager who treats employees with respect and fairness demonstrates true strength, rather than one who misuses power.


3. "A strong man stands up for himself. A stronger man stands up for others." — Unknown

  • Meaning: True strength is shown not just in self-defense but in defending those who may be unable to stand up for themselves.

  • Example: A student who steps in to stop a classmate from being bullied demonstrates real courage and strength.


4. "Well-behaved women seldom make history." — Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

  • Meaning: Women who challenge norms and fight for change are often the ones who leave a lasting impact on history.

  • Example: Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat became a historic moment in the Civil Rights Movement, sparking change.


5. "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes." — Mahatma Gandhi

  • Meaning: Our mindset shapes who we are and what we achieve in life; our thoughts define our actions and, ultimately, our character.

  • Example: A person who believes they can succeed is more likely to persist through setbacks and achieve their goals.


6. "A girl should be two things: who and what she wants." — Coco Chanel

  • Meaning: Every woman has the right to live authentically and pursue her own path without conforming to others’ expectations.

  • Example: A young woman choosing a career path that makes her happy, despite societal or familial pressures, embodies this sentiment.


7. "You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation." — Brigham Young

  • Meaning: When women are educated, they often pass down knowledge, impacting future generations and entire communities.

  • Example: A woman who pursues education and encourages her children to value learning helps shape a legacy of knowledge.


8. "A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." — Charles Darwin

  • Meaning: Time is precious, and those who truly understand life don’t waste it; they use it meaningfully.

  • Example: A person dedicating their time to pursue passions, help others, or grow reflects an appreciation for life’s fleeting nature.


9. "To be brave is to love someone unconditionally, without expecting anything in return." — Madonna

  • Meaning: True bravery can be found in selfless love, where one gives without demanding anything back.

  • Example: Parents often love their children unconditionally, supporting them through challenges and successes without expecting reciprocation.


10. "It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit." — J.R.R. Tolkien

  • Meaning: True strength is measured by inner resilience, not physical power; determination, courage, and endurance matter most.

  • Example: An athlete recovering from an injury who remains optimistic and dedicated exemplifies strength of spirit.


These quotes capture different aspects of character, strength, and purpose for both men and women. They remind us of the impact of our actions and the importance of inner qualities over outward appearances.

When the candles are out all women are fair.

- Plutarch Quotes

Don't accept rides from strange men, and remember that all men are strange.

- Robin Morgan Quotes

Men live in a fantasy world.  I know this because I am one, and I actually receive my mail there.

-Scott Adams Quotes

What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine.

- Susan Sontag Quotes

Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.

- Timothy Leary Quotes

Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.

- William Congreve Quotes

For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.

- Virginia Woolf Quotes

I'm just a person trapped inside a woman's body.

- Men quotes by Elayne Boosler

There can be no spirituality, no sanctity, no truth without the female sex.

- Men quotes by Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Frailty, thy name is woman!

- William Shakespeare Quotes

Women upset everything.  When you let them into your life, you find that the woman is driving at one thing and you're driving at another.

- Men quotes by George Bernard Shaw

Funny business, a women's career: the things you drop on the way up the ladder so you can move faster.  You forget you'll need them again when you get back to being a woman.  it's one career all females have in common, whether we like it or not: being a woman. Sooner or later, we've got to work at it, no matter how many other careers we've had or wanted.

- Joseph L. Mankiewicz Quotes

Misogynist: A man who hates women as much as women hate one another.

- Man and Women quote by H. L. Mencken

Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. But in fact they are perpetually passing into one another.  Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman.

- Margaret Fuller Quote

I hate women because they always know where things are.

- James Thurber Quote

The male is a domestic animal which, it treated with firmness, can be trained to do most things.

- Jilly Cooper Quotes

For all their strength, men were sometimes like little children.

- Lawana Blackwell Quote

If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.

- Plato Quotes

When I think of talking, it is of course with a woman.  For talking at its best being an inspiration, it wants a corresponding divine quality of receptiveness, and where will you find this but in a woman?

- Oliver Wendell Holmes Quotes