And as if all that weren’t enough, Beyoncé’s also navigated a high-profile marriage with rapper husband Jay-Z for 13 years and is mom to their three kids: 9-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter and 4-year-old boy-girl twins Sir and Rumi Carter. If reading all of that makes you want to “Run the World” like she does, then get inspired with our list of 146 Beyoncé quotes that showcase the great Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter at her most empowering, insightful and (of course) fierce.
146 Best Beyoncé Quotes
- “My daughter introduced me to myself.”
- “There are a lot of things I never did, because I believe in watching those true Hollywood stories and I see how easy it is to lose track of your life.”
- “I know I’m stronger in the songs than I really am. Sometimes I need to hear it myself. We all need to hear those empowering songs to remind us.”
- “What does fear taste like? Success. I have accomplished nothing without a little taste of fear in my mouth.”
- “Any other woman who has to go to work and pick up the kids and make dinner - that’s way harder than what I have to do.”
- “I’m a workaholic and I don’t believe in ‘No’. If I’m not sleeping, nobody’s sleeping.”
- “If I hadn’t gone through some of the painful things in my life, I would not be me.”
- “I wanted to manage myself and have a company that put art and creativity first.”
- “Women have to take the time to focus on our mental health — take time for self, for the spiritual, without feeling guilty or selfish.”
- “I felt like it was time to set up my future, so I set a goal. My goal was independence.”
- “The reality is: sometimes you lose. And you’re never too good to lose. You’re never too big to lose. You’re never too smart to lose. It happens.”
- “My biggest thing is to teach not to focus on the aesthetic. It’s really about who you are, and the human being, that makes you beautiful.”
- “Sometimes, we are satisfied with what people tell us we’re supposed to be satisfied with, and I’m just not going for it.”
- “One of the things that kept me out of trouble was doing something creative – creativity can’t be judged.”
- “I don’t feel like I have to please anyone. I feel free. I feel like I’m an adult. I’m grown. I can do what I want. I can say what I want. I can retire if I want. That’s why I’ve worked hard.”
- “I don’t need people to think for me. I’ve never been that way, and I don’t ever want to be that way.”
- “I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself.”
- “It is so liberating to really know what I want, what truly makes me happy, what I will not tolerate. I have learned that it is no one else’s job to take care of me but me.”
- “I embrace mistakes. They make you who you are.”
- “My message behind this album was finding the beauty in imperfection.”
- “We all have our imperfections. But I’m human, and you know, it’s important to concentrate on other qualities besides outer beauty.”
- “You can’t put your finger on who I am. I can’t put my finger on who I am.”
- “It’s not about perfection. It’s about purpose.”
- “Never let success go to your head, never let failure get to your heart.”
- “When I’m not feeling my best, I ask myself, ‘What are you gonna do about it?’ I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me.”
- “One of the reasons I connect to the Super Bowl is that I approach my shows like an athlete.”
- “I have dreams, and I feel like I have the power to actually make those dreams become a reality.”
- “I love my job, but it’s more than that: I need it.”
- “I wanted to be famous for my music and my talent, and I always wished I could cut it out when I left the stage.”
- “As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am.”
- “Whenever I feel bad, I use that feeling to motivate me to work harder. I only allow myself one day to feel sorry for myself. People who complain really get on my nerves.”
- “Be healthy and take care of yourself, but be happy with the beautiful things that make you, you.”
- “The more you mature, you realize that this imperfections make your more beautiful.”
- “I mean, I feel like you get more bees with honey. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated in my life.”
- “The more successful I become, the more I need a man.”
- “There’s my personal life, my sensitive side, and then me as a performer, sexy and energized and fun.”
- “I just hope people don’t get sick of us. I’m sick of us and I’m in Destiny’s Child.”
- “The great thing about McDonald’s is that they have a lot of different things on the menu. I love their salads.”
- “I’m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone; I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world. I run my world.”
- “If I weren’t performing, I’d be a beauty editor or a therapist. I love creativity, but I also love to help others. My mother was a hairstylist, and they listen to everyone’s problems - like a beauty therapist!”
- “Playing Etta James in the movie Cadillac Records really changed me. It was a darker character, and I realized that if anything is too comfortable, I want to run from it. It’s no fun being safe.”
- “Y’all are so cute and y’all talk so proper over here. I love England.”
- “I wanted to sell a million records, and I sold a million records. I wanted to go platinum; I went platinum. I’ve been working nonstop since I was 15. I don’t even know how to chill out.”
- “My focus is my art, and that’s what I love to do. I have to be really passionate in order to do something. I’ve turned down many things that I just didn’t believe in.”
- “Have your own life before you become somebody’s wife.”
- “We live in a world with few boundaries and a lot of access.”
- “Whenever I’m confused about something, I ask God to reveal the answers to my questions, and he does.”
- “We all have special numbers in our lives, and 4 is that for me. It’s the day I was born. My mother’s birthday, and a lot of my friends’ birthdays, are on the fourth; April 4 is my wedding date.”
- “To be able to travel the world, especially to places I never thought I’d be… it’s really, you know, still fascinating for me.”
- “I’m over being a pop star. I don’t wanna be a hot girl. I wanna be iconic. And I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot. I feel like I’m highly respected, which is more important than any award or any amount of records. And I feel like there comes a point when being a pop star is not enough.”
- “When you’re a pop star, it’s a little conservative; you always have to stay in a box. You have fans that are five and fans that are 65; there are so many people wanting so many things.”
- “I hold a lot of things in. I’m always making sure everybody is okay. I usually don’t rage; I usually don’t curse. So for me, it’s a great thing to be able to scream and say whatever I want.”
- “In my videos, I always want to be a powerful woman. That’s my mission.”
- “I discovered after going to music festivals that I am a rock fan. I love the guitars, the phrasing, and the abandon of rock fans.”
- “I just try to write songs that people are going to have a dialogue about.”
- “I wanna say I lived each day until I die. And I know that I meant something in somebody’s life. The hearts I have touched will be the proof that I leave that I made a difference, and this world will see.”
- “A woman is most beautiful when she smiles.”
- “Power is not given to you. You have to take it.”
- “Tina Turner is someone that I admire, because she made her strength feminine and sexy.”
- “My style offstage is so different from onstage. I love a pair of sexy heels with jeans, a nice jacket, or a little dress.”
- “My fans kept asking where they could get clothes like Destiny’s Child’s, so it was only natural for us to do a clothing line. I was adamant about not putting my name on something that I didn’t love.”
- “A true diva is graceful, and talented, and strong, and fearless and brave and someone with humility.”
- “When you really don’t like a guy, they’re all over you, and as soon as you act like you like them, they’re no longer interested.”
- “You know what, I’m very attracted to someone who makes me laugh and is that charming. Really, I could be charmed by anyone. I’m just a sucker for somebody that is charming.”
- “If you’re with the right person, it brings out the best version of you.”
- “Love doesn’t hurt; loving the wrong person does.”
- “I remember being in Japan when Destiny’s Child put our ‘Independent Women,’ and women there were saying how proud they were to have their own jobs, their own independent thinking, their own goals. It made me feel so good, and I realized that one of my responsibilities was to inspire women in a deeper way.”
- “Why are we viewed as less than equal? These old attitudes are drilled into us from the very beginning. We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect so that as they grow up, gender equality becomes a natural way of life. And we have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible.”
- “You know, equality is a myth, and for some reason, everyone accepts the fact that women don’t make as much money as men do. I don’t understand that. Why do we have to take a backseat?”
- “The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence.”
- “I guess I am a modern-day feminist. I do believe in equality. Why do you have to choose what type of woman you are? Why do you have to label yourself anything?”
- “Men and women balance each other out, and we have to get to a point where we are comfortable with appreciating each other.”
- “Your self-worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.”
- “There’s definitely a dangerous feeling when you’re in love. It’s giving your heart to someone else and knowing that they have control over your feelings.”
- “I love my husband, but it is nothing like a conversation with a woman that understands you. I grow so much from those conversations.”
- “You want my password? Have it. You want to look through my phone? Go ahead. You wanna stay in and cuddle? I’m there. You don’t like that dude? I won’t talk to him. You don’t like when guys post on my wall? I’ll erase them. I’ll stay faithful to you 100% I got nothing to hide from you. But I expect the same 100% back.”
- “My parents taught my sister and me the importance of giving back and making a difference in another person’s life.”
- “We need to reshape our own perception of how we view ourselves. We have to step up as women and take the lead.”
- “I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. And let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what’s sexy. And men define what’s feminine. It’s ridiculous.”
- “We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn’t a reality yet.”
- “It is the most powerful creation to have life growing inside of you. There is no bigger gift.”
- “Love is an endless act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is me giving up the right to hurt you for hurting me.”
- “I get nervous when I don’t get nervous. If I’m nervous I know I’m going to have a good show.”
- “For me, it’s about the way I carry myself and the way I treat other people. My relationship and how I feel about God and what He does for me, is something deeply personal. It’s where I came from, my family, I was brought up in a religious household and that’s very important to me.”
- “I think it’s healthy for a person to be nervous. It means you care - that you work hard and want to give a great performance. You just have to channel that nervous energy into the show.”
- “Power means happiness; power means hard work and sacrifice.”
- “When you love and accept yourself, when you know who really cares about you, and when you learn from your mistakes, then you stop caring about what people who don’t know you think.”
- “I grew up upper class. Private school. My dad had a Jaguar. We’re African-American, and we work together as a family, so people assume we’re like the Jacksons. But I didn’t have parents using me to get out of a bad situation.”
- “I don’t really like to call myself a brand, and I don’t like to think of myself as a brand. I’m a singer, a songwriter, a musician and a performer. And an actress, and all the other things that I do. When you add it all together, some might call it a brand, but that’s not my focus.”
- “I think music is something that can, and should, be used to get you into different things because eventually what goes up must come down - we’re not going to be the number one group in the world forever - so you have to have something else to fall back on.”
- “Every person you meet is going to want something different from you. The question is: what do you want for yourself?”
- “If you don’t take the time to think about and analyze your life, you’ll never realize all the dots that are all connected.”
- “Don’t try to lessen yourself for the world; let the world catch up to you.”
- “Independence comes from you knowing who you are and you being happy with yourself.”
- “Spread positivity; don’t matter how big, or how small.”
- “The world will see you the way you see you and treat you the way you treat yourself.”
- “Do what you were born to do. You have to trust yourself. “
- “The best thing is looking back and realizing how incredible life is.”
- “I want to show that you can have fun and have purpose, be respectful and speak your mind.”
- “My wish for the future is to continue to do everything everyone thinks I can’t do.”
- “I took a chance on myself when I bought my company back. We all have the confidence in us to take chances and bet on ourselves.”
- “To me, power is making things happen without asking for permission. It’s affecting the way people perceive themselves and the world around them. It’s making people stand up with pride.”
- “Being a mother, my family is my biggest priority.”
- “Women are more than 50 percent of the population and more than 50 percent of voters. We must demand that we all receive 100 percent of the opportunities.”
- “I’m not happy if I’m not improving, evolving, moving forward, inspiring, teaching, and learning.” (Vogue, 2018)
- “Everything I know about being a mother comes from the examples she has shown. My mother has instilled confidence in my sister and me and taught us to always be grateful.”
- “The more I mature, the more I understand my value.”
- “I feel it’s vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes.”
- “We all have more power than we realize.”
- “Success looks different to me now. I learned that all pain and loss is in fact a gift.”
- “I feel more beautiful than I’ve ever felt because I’ve given birth. I have never felt so connected, never felt like I had such a purpose on this earth.”
- “I don’t like to gamble, but if there is one thing I’m willing to bet on is myself.”
- “Connecting to the past and knowing our history makes us both bruised and beautiful.”
- “I think the most stressful thing for me is balancing work and life. Making sure I am present for my kids—dropping Blue off at school, taking Rumi and Sir to their activities, making time for date nights with my husband, and being home in time to have dinner with my family—all while running a company can be challenging. Juggling all of those roles can be stressful, but I think that’s life for any working mom.”
- “Not enough Black women had a seat at the table, so I had to go and chop down that wood and build my own table.”
- “There are many shades on every journey. Nothing is black or white.”
- “There’s so many different ways to be brilliant. I believe you and every human being is born with a masterful gift. Don’t let the world make you feel that you have to look a certain way to be brilliant.”
- “Out of everything I’ve accomplished, my proudest moment hands down was when I gave birth to my daughter Blue.”
- “Diversity and inclusion go beyond race.”
- “I look at the woman I was in my 20s and I see a young lady growing into confidence but intent on pleasing everyone around her. I now feel so much more beautiful, so much sexier, so much more interesting. And so much more powerful.”
- “I am more than enough no matter what stage I’m at in life.”
- “To me, power is making things happen without asking for permission. It’s affecting the way people perceive themselves and the world around them. It’s making people stand up with pride.”
- “After giving birth, I really understand the power of my body. I just feel my body means something completely different. I feel a lot more confident about it. Even being heavier, thinner, whatever. I feel a lot more like a woman. More feminine, more sensual. And no shame.”
- “I’m not really sure people know or understand what a feminist is, but it’s very simple. It’s someone who believes in equal rights for men and women.”
- “If you are a man who believes your daughter should have the same opportunities and rights as your son, then you’re a feminist.”
- “I don’t like or embrace any label. I don’t want calling myself a feminist to make it feel like that’s my one priority, over racism or sexism or anything else. I’m just exhausted by labels and tired of being boxed in. If you believe in equal rights, the same way society allows a man to express his darkness, to express his pain, to express his sexuality, to express his opinion—I feel that women have the same rights.”
- “Choosing to be a feminist has nothing to do with your femininity—or, for that matter, your masculinity. We’re not all just one thing.”
- “I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe. But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things.”
- “Everyone experiences pain, but sometimes you need to be uncomfortable to transform. Pain is not pretty, but I wasn’t able to hold my daughter in my arms until I experienced the pain of childbirth!”
- “I’m more powerful than my mind can even digest and understand.”
- “Over time, I have learned to focus on the things I want to focus on in the time frame that I set. I no longer have to work based on someone else’s expectations or pressure. I put enough pressure on myself! I love being 100% involved with all my projects and now I’m fortunate enough to do that.”
- “I think it’s important for women and men to see and appreciate the beauty in their natural bodies.”
- “I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. And let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what’s sexy. And men define what’s feminine. It’s ridiculous.”
- “I believe in giving a voice to people who are not always heard.”
- “The best thing about having a daughter is having a true legacy.”
- “When I’m onstage, I don’t know what the crap happens. I am gone.”
- “Lead with heart.”
- “Soul has no color, no shape, no form.”
- “To all those who feel different. If you’re part of a group that’s called ‘other,’ a group that does not get the chance to be center stage, build your own stage and make them see you.”
- “In moments of vulnerability, I try to remind myself I’m strong and I’m built for this.”
- “Having miscarriages taught me that I had to mother myself before I could be a mother to someone else.”
- “I feel like I’m highly respected, which is more important than any award or any amount of records.”
- “My mother instilled in me the idea that creativity starts with taking a leap of faith—telling your fears they are not allowed where you are headed.”
- “Get off my ovaries!”
- “Inspiration is all around us every second of the day.”
- “I’ve been through hell and back, and I’m grateful for every scar.” Additional reporting by Alexandra Hurtado Next, in need of more inspirational quotes? Read our favorite 150 quotes about life.
