On International Women’s Day the women of EMC connected and shared their vision of women’s leadership. I have to admit I started the dance, but it was Annie Mclure that ended it with her energetic quote: “Deliver life gloriously experiencing everyday firsts!!!”

It isn’t often you get an opportunity to deliver rapid fire global emails on the topic of women’s leadership during a busy work day. But the passion was high and the exhange powerful. Here are some of the amazing quotes created on the fly and found in personal journals.

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“Take time for yourself. Plan for longevity.” Leslie Rourke

“Your difference makes a difference.” Stephanie Lubrano

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” Maya Angelou

“We are born to live, not to prepare to live.” Tammy Merrill

“Coming together is a beginning, Keeping together is progress, Working together is success!” Jennifer Axt

“There is no too for development more effective than the empowerment of women”  Kofi Annan

Care more than others think is wise,
Risk more than others think is safe,
Dream more than others think is practical, and
Expect more than others think is possible.
An African proverb

“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” Diane Mariechild

“It is difficult being a full time working mom but if there is a will to succeed in both arenas, there are ways, just a little more sacrifice on our part. We women are known for our perseverance, sacrifice, and the ability to multi tasks.” Jessica Huynh

“Because you are alive, everything is possible.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“Appreciate the women under your skin”

“Live………….Love……………Laugh!” Millicent Madison

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” Marianne Williamson

“A leader take people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be!!” Rosalynn Carter

“Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.” Sherry Rothfield

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” Karoline Ross

“We can do anything that we set our minds to – Don’t let anything stand in your way.” Michelle Green

“You can tell the quality of a leader by those who choose to follow.” Tsun Tsu

“Women who behave, rarely make history.” Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

“Life is too important to be taken seriously. Cheers!” Teri Goldy

“ring out their better side so they see and support yours, and ‘we” accomplish greater things together and for each other than we can on our own + more http://www.sayitbetter.com/quotes/” Kare Anderson

“If you educate a man, you educate an individual; if you educate a woman, you educate a community.”

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” James Oppenheim

“Live everyday as if it is your last …” Suzanne Rainwater

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Helen Keller, author, political activist, and speaker

“Being a woman is to be a princess on the 20’s, a queen on the 30’s, an empress on the 40’s and special the whole life through.” (unknown author)

“A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Eleanor Roosevelt.

“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.” B. R. Ambedkar

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” Maya Angelou

“We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise;
And then, if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the skies.” Emily Dickinson

“Find your passion, whatever it may be.
Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen
FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.” T. Alan Armstrong

“Life is like a day at the market, you have to go home at the end of the day, whether your basket is full or empty.” So live life to your fullest and believe in the possibility of the impossible.” Geetha Prabhukumar

“People like what they know; they don’t always necessarily know what they like.” Art history professor Dr. Toni Sepeda referring to art, but SO applicable to technology!

“Your Significance is not in Your Similarity to Others, but in Your Point of Difference.” Donna Williams

“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” Lauren Thatcher Ulrich

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain” Anonymous

I love this quote because it reminds me of just how strong I am, how much we as woman have overcome and how much strength I can look around and gather from so many other strong woman around me.

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Live every day to its fullest and appreciate what you have, not what you want.” Maria Mathios

If you are not being treated with love & respect, check your “price tag”. Perhaps you have marked yourself down. You are the only one who tells people what you’re worth by what you accept. Bottom line – Get yourself off the “clearance rack” & get behind the glass where they keep all the “valuables”. You are highly VALUABLE and one-of-a-kind!” Tena M. Paparelli

“Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force. “ Dorothy L.Sayers
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What I was impressed here is that this quote has multiple connotations and tries to advocate people to be not plain followers but to create new paths and drive the way. Meaning, LEAD through Transformational Thinking which is very much aligned to EMC Vision of 2012 and 2013 namely Transform Yourself, IT and Business and Lead to take more share.” Ms. Madhu Bindiganavalae Manjunath

“If you obey all of the rules, you miss all of the fun.” Katharine Hepburn

You’re Awesome by Tammy Ward
The nurturing, caring, mother..the passionate,
Exciting vamp..the romantic dreamer
The playful child. The determined go getter
The loyal friend all these woman
And more are you

Acknowledge and treasure each one
Give each of your inner women time and
Opportunity to surface, for each has
Wonderful things to offer and make you
So lovable.

Make time for nurturing and passion and
Romance. Follow your goals and let nothing
Stop you. Find opportunities for friendship
And fun. Respect all your inner womanly strengths and values.

Be proud of these things, for together
They create one truly AMAZING WOMAN.

“Just as EMC is leading customers’ transformation, women are leading a global transformation enabling companies to innovate through collaboration and communication.” Sylvie Otten Sollod

I asked GOD for a Flower,
He gave me a garden
I asked for a tree
He gave me a forest
I asked for a river
He gave me an ocean
I asked for an angel
He gave me you!

“Our woman of EMC: Enthusiastic, Mature & Customer oriented. “ Ana Verdegais

“Enthusiasm + Magnificent + Commitment + Women = BEST LEADERS IN THE WORLD.” Zamanta Anguiano

Embrace our difference! “The writer of originality, unless dead, is always shocking, scandalous; novelty disturbs and repels.” Simone De Beauvoir

“Every aspect of EMC’s corporate management, technology, products, solutions, support and services are enriched with a caring touch of EMC’s women.” Anjali Fields

“Journey Continues but Celebration should also continue.” Seema Tahaliyani

And my quote that started the exhange.

“EMC is the center of leadership and innovation through the eyes of women.” Sheryl Chamberlain

Happy International Women’s Day!