When tough times and stressful days arise, sometimes remembering what is possible makes all of the difference. The accomplishments of individuals and can make a big difference beyond the moment. These impressive black women have shown us what can happen when you don’t give up on your dreams and what you believe in. Here's 13 motivational quotes from 13 inspirational women of color.

Lena Horne

“It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.” ― Lena Horne

A sex symbol of her time, Lena Horne (June 30, 1917 - May 9, 2010) caught the attention and won hearts with her beauty and voice as actress, singer, and dancer. However, she ignited the country with her vocal passion for equality. Her performances were featured in Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather, and The Wiz, in which she played Glinda The Good Witch. In the 60s, she became very active in marches and protests. Horne, who had become a notable civil rights activist, took part in the March on Washington in August 1963.

Maya Angelou

Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest." - Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014) is one of the most noted black American author, poet, and civil rights activists of the last century. Angelou was was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for her 1971. She is known for her great written pieces such as "Still I Rise" and "Phenomenal Woman." She read "On the Pulse of Morning" at the first inauguration of President Bill Clinton on in 1993.

Shirley Chisholm

“Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth. - Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm (November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress. She also was the first woman ever to run for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. (Margaret Chase Smith ran for the Republican nomination in 1964.) In 2015, Chisholm was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom after her death for her meaningful achievements and courage.

Dorothy Dandridge

“It [prejudice] is such a waste. It makes you logy and half-alive. It gives you nothing. It takes away.” – Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Dandridge (November 9, 1922 - September 8, 1965) was the first African-American woman to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.Her performance in the 1954 film Carmen Jones earned her the nomination. Her ability to sing, dance, and act won her the attention of the nation. In 1959, she received the nomination for a Golden Globe award for best actress for her performance in Porgy and Bess.

Madame C.J. Walker

"If I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard." - Madame C. J. Walker

Madame C.J. Walker was the first black female millionaire. A self-made woman, Walker worked in a barbershop earning only $1.50 / day. After suffering from a scalp condition, she used her knowledge of hair care to create a homemade remedy to help stimulate her own hair growth.  The "Walker Method" involved her own formula for a hair pomade, heat combs, and brushing.

Lisa Price

“Courage is standing in the face of fear and doing it anyway.” —Lisa Price

Lisa Price started making products in her own kitchen in Brooklyn 1993. She started out by selling her potions and hair treatments at flea markets and street fairs. Today, Carol’s Daughter is a multi-million dollar business. Bought by L’Oreal in 2014, Carol's Daughter offers beauty goodies that are praised nationwide, particularly by women of color with natural hair who view the products as innovative solutions and staples in their own home.

Nikki Giovanni

“Everything will change. The only question is growing up or decaying. “ - Nikki Giovanni

Nikki Giovanni (born June 7, 1943) is one of the most noted black American poets in the world. Her work has covered issues such as social justice and even children’s literature. One of her most popular poems “Ego Tripping” takes the reader on a poetic journey through extreme self confidence. The poem was published in 1972 during some of the most tense moments of the civil rights movement  and the women’s movement in the US. The poem was a bold celebration of both her blackness and her womanhood. Oprah Winfrey named her one of Oprah’s 25 Living Legends.

Shonda Rhimes

“Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral. Pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.”  - Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is the first African-American woman to create and executive-produce a top 10 primetime television network series. Her entertainments hits have become household names:  ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy; Private Practice, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder. A graduate of Dartmouth, Rhimes has become one of the most coveted writers and producers in Hollywood, as well of one of the most powerful women in television at large.

Constance Baker Motley

“Lack of encouragement never deterred me. I was the kind of person who would not be put down.” - Constance Baker Motley

Constance Baker Motley (September 14, 1921 – September 28, 2005) was the first African American women to oversee a federal court, to which she was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Thurgood Marshall hired her as a law clerk in October 1945 while she was attending Columbia Law School. She argued 10 cases in front of the US Supreme Court, and she won 9 of them. The case Meredith v. Fair made her the first African American woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court. She won James Meredith the right to become the first black student at the University of Mississippi in 1962.

Josephine Baker

“You are on the eve of a complete victory. You can't go wrong. The world is behind you.” - Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 - April 12, 1975) was born in Missouri. Known as a beautiful entertainer and dancer of the jazz age, the calling and life of of Josephine Baker is actually more complex. She performed a vital role for her adopted country of France, as an undercover operative in the French Resistance. She served as a sub-lieutenant in the Women’s Auxiliary of the French Air Force. At least once, Baker smuggled secret military intelligence reports from France into Portugal that had been written in disappearing or invisible ink on her sheet music. Her traveling show also provided a persuasive front cover for other intelligence agents. To help secure the visas that these men and women needed, Baker often used her famous grace and charm. Picasso described her as having "the smile to end all smiles."

As her funeral procession made its way through Paris, approximately 20,000 admirers filled the streets to say goodbye to “Black Venus”. In a final ceremony of honor and gratitude, the French government authorized a 21-gun salute at her service, making Josephine Baker the first American woman buried on French soil with military honors.

Alexa Canady

“The greatest challenge I faced in becoming a neurosurgeon was believing it was possible.” - Alexa Canady

Alexa Irene Canady (born November 7, 1950) was the first African American to become a neurosurgeon. She was born in Lansing, Michigan and earned both her bachelor's and medical degree from the University of Michigan and completed her residency at the University of Minnesota in 1981. Specializing in pediatric neurosurgery, Canady served as the chief of neurosurgery at the Children's Hospital in Michigan from 1987 until her retirement in 2001. In addition to surgery she also conducted research and was a professor of neurosurgery at Wayne State University. Canady was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, and in 1993, she also received the American Medical Women's Association President's Award.

Kamala Harris

“What's important for my daughter to know is that... if you are fortunate to have opportunity, it is your duty to make sure other people have those opportunities as well.” -Kamala Harris

Kamala Devi Harris (born October 20, 1964) is an American attorney and politician who currently serves in congress as a California senator. Of Jamaican and Indian descent,  Harris became the first Indian American woman to serve as a US Senator after the 2016 Senate election.  She is a graduate of Howard University, and has been noted by the media a potential future candidate for the president due to her ideas and and the attention she garners for her passionate speeches as a senator.

Condoleezza Rice

“The essence of America - that which really unites us - is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion - it is an idea - and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.”  - Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is a political scientist and diplomat. During the George W. Bush administration, she served as the 66th United States Secretary of State. She was the first black woman to do so.  (Colin Powell being the first African-American, Madeleine Albright being the first female to hold the role; Rice the 2nd to fulfill the achievement within both demographics separately.)   More importantly, Rice was President Bush's National Security Advisor during his first term, making her the first woman to serve in that position. Before working in the White House, she was political science professor at Stanford University in California.