International Women's Day 2016
Also known as IWD, International Women's Day is celebrated on 8 March across the world. Reuters

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries to commemorate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women around the world. It is also a day to remember the struggles women face and honour the accomplishments they have made.

On 28 February, 1909, the Socialist Party of America celebrated the first Woman's Day by honouring female garment workers who were protesting against poor working conditions. Two years later, on 19 March 1911, the first International Women's Day was celebrated by more than one million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.

In the UK, IWD was celebrated on 8 March in 1914 in London, when British suffragette leader Sylvia Pankhurst was arrested on her way to speak in Trafalgar Square. After that day, IWD was celebrated on 8 March each year.

Since the first IWD was marked, there has been a significant improvement in the lives of women across the world, in terms of gender equality, education, and increased visibility recognition.

To commemorate the special day, IBTimes UK has compiled a list of inspirational quotes.

  1. "Women have always been the strong ones of the world. The men are always seeking from women a little pillow to put their heads down on. They are always longing for the mother who held them as infants." – Coco Chanel
  2. "Women are clear-headed, they are more creative and for this reason, sometimes, also more fragile." – Emma Bonino
  3. "Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one." – Eleanor Roosevelt
  4. "By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacation-less class." – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  5. "If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." – Margaret Thatcher
  6. "Honor your daughters. They are honorable." – Malala Yousafzai
  7. "The history of all times, and of today especially, teaches that… women will be forgotten if they forget to think about themselves." – Louise Otto
  8. "The fastest way to change society is to mobilise the women of the world." – Charles Malik
  9. "A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult." – Melinda Gates
  10. "A woman's guess is much more accurate than a man's certainty." – Rudyard Kipling
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