20 life rules from successful women

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Strength of mind, perseverance, loyalty to principles, mercy - we have a lot to learn from each member of this list.

1. Jane Austen, writer

Pride and Prejudice was initially rejected by the publisher. He saw the light only after the success of the book "Feelings and Sensitivity". The very same Jane Austen considered "Pride and Prejudice" a favorite child. And for good reason: the novel is included in the BBC's 200 best books.

I do not demand that people be nice to me, it saves me from the labor of liking them.

Jane Austen

2. Sofia Kovalevskaya, mathematician

Kovalevskaya had to fight desperately for the right to education and the opportunity to study mathematics. Her outstanding abilities were noticed very early, but her father refused to give his daughter the right to devote herself to science.

To get rid of the restrictions on the part of her parents, Sophia married fictitiously. The University of Berlin, where the famous mathematician Karl Weierstrass worked, did not accept girls, and Kovalevskaya was forced to take private lessons. When she returned to Russia with a Ph. D., she was only offered the position of a gymnasium teacher.

However, Kovalevskaya did not give up and became the first woman in the world to teach mathematics at the university as a professor, and also made a number of discoveries related to the theory of rotation of a rigid body.

Several years ago there were few women striving for knowledge - a few. Now there are hundreds of us. Fight for the happiness of being independent, for the right to live, work and create for the sake of the highest ideal.

Sofia Kovalevskaya

3. Maria Sklodowska-Curie, chemist, physicist, two-time Nobel laureate

Maria Sklodowska began researching the magnetic properties of metals even before meeting Pierre Curie. Subsequently, the couple, united by a common interest, processed 8 tons of uraninite in four years. Due to the lack of a laboratory, experiments had to be carried out first in the storeroom of the institute, and then in the barn. Conditions did not prevent the couple from discovering radium and polonium in 1898.

Sklodowska-Curie devoted her entire life to the study of radiation. She is still the only woman to have been awarded the Nobel Prize twice.

There is nothing in life that is worth fearing, there is only that which needs to be understood.

Maria Sklodowska-Curie

4. Agatha Christie, writer

Agatha Christie has written over 60 detective novels. She said that she could spend time with friends or family while thinking about a new work. And when the writer sat down to work, the plot was already ready from start to finish. Christie admitted that ideas could come to mind at any time, and the writer entered each of them in a special notebook.

I find the plots of my detective novels while washing the dishes. This is such a stupid activity that the thought of murder involuntarily comes to mind.

Agatha Christie

5. Ayn Rand, writer, creator of the philosophy of objectivism

Ayn Rand created a philosophy of rational individualism called objectivism. Its main position is that the goal of every person's life is to strive for their own happiness.

Philosophers do not officially support Rand's ideas, but objectivism has many admirers.

To say “I love you,” you first need to learn how to pronounce the word “I”.

Ayn Rand

6. Mother Teresa, Nobel laureate, saint of the Catholic Church

Mother Teresa devoted her life to "serving the poorest of the poor." In the slums of Indian Calcutta, she fed the hungry, took care of the elderly. The nun founded the first leper colony and an orphanage in India for abandoned children, opened a workshop for the unemployed and a nursing home. She helped refugees in Palestinian camps in Lebanon, affected by drought in Ethiopia, earthquakes in Guatemala and Armenia, and visited the USSR after the Chernobyl accident.

Despite criticism of the activities, the name of Mother Teresa has become a household name and is used to denote selfless help to everyone who needs it.

We don't need guns and bombs. To defeat evil, we need love and compassion. All labors of love are labors for the good of the world.

Mother Teresa

7. Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of Great Britain

British politics during the reign of Thatcher was characterized by decisiveness and toughness, as, indeed, by the "iron lady" herself. She carried out a number of reforms, which were not always accepted by the population. Thatcher transferred into private hands a number of public sectors of the economy, limited the powers of trade unions, encouraged the development of small business, paid education and medicine.

Despite the protests, its tough measures did lead to the stabilization of the economic situation, a decrease in inflation and unemployment.

For me, consensus is the process of giving up your beliefs, principles, values and strategies. This is something that no one believes in and with which no one argues.

Margaret Thatcher

8. Maya Plisetskaya, ballerina

Despite the huge success, the ballerina was always critical of her achievements. For example, Plisetskaya believed that if she started her career later, she would not even be accepted into the ballet school, since she had "an unpressed knee and a mediocre rise."

At the same time, Plisetskaya was not afraid of experiments and created her own style, distinguished by the graphicality and completeness of the gesture, and her numbers stood out not only for impeccable performance, but also for deep artistry.

I always danced only for the audience. After leaving the stage, she never danced. It never occurred to me to dance for myself.

Maya Plisetskaya

9. Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain

Elizabeth II was not supposed to be on the throne: her father George the Sixth was second in line to the royal throne. However, Prince Edward, who was the first on the list, was forced to abdicate in favor of George, and after the death of her father, Elizabeth became queen at the age of 26.

Despite the fact that she began to prepare for the performance of royal duties back in 1944, when she entered the State Council and began to replace George the Sixth during his absence, Elizabeth II repeatedly admitted that she had to develop stamina, fortitude and exposure.

The world is not the most pleasant of places. In the end, your parents will leave you, and no one will protect you simply because you are you. You need to learn to defend your own principles.

Elizabeth the Second

10. Galina Vishnevskaya, opera singer

Galina Vishnevskaya has repeatedly supported the art workers persecuted by the authorities. She refused to sign a letter against the writer Boris Pasternak, and continued to communicate with composer Dmitry Shostakovich when he fell out of favor with government agencies. The disgraced writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn lived at the dacha of Vishnevskaya and Rostropovich. Vishnevskaya knew how these actions could turn out for her, but she did them anyway.

It was a terrible time, and those in whom the spirit had not been defeated morally survived.

Galina Vishnevskaya

11. Audrey Hepburn, actress

Hepburn, who consistently ranks among the most beautiful actresses of the twentieth century, considered herself ugly. When she entered the profession, women with forms were in fashion. So, for example, she put socks in her bra when she performed at the Ciro nightclub.

However, a fragile figure did not prevent Audrey from becoming a sought-after actress. On the contrary, Hepburn changed fashion, making aristocratic thinness popular.

I cannot boast of the forms of Sophia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida, but after all, sexuality is not only about size. I don't need a bedroom to prove my femininity. I can be sexy just picking apples from an apple tree in the rain.

Audrey Hepburn

12. Julia Gippenreiter, psychologist, professor at Moscow State University

Julia Gippenreiter struggled with cancer for nine months. When she was diagnosed, the doctors refused to operate on the tumor, giving her three months to live.

The psychologist flew to New York, where she underwent surgery and chemotherapy. Gippenreiter noted that doctors were amazed when, on the sixth day after surgery, she went to a Chinese restaurant. Although, according to Julia, this is her life strategy - to mobilize in response to the blow of fate.

My main rule is not to stop. Survive in every sense.

Julia Gippenreiter

13. Valentina Tereshkova, cosmonaut

Tereshkova worked as a weaver when she became interested in parachuting. The hobby turned out to be promising, because it was at this time that it was decided to send a woman into space. Tereshkova perfectly fit into the parameters of a parachutist up to 30 years old, growing up to 170 cm, weighing up to 70 kg, and began training.

The future cosmonaut had many competitors who were inferior to her only in one thing: no one could communicate with journalists as freely and naturally. Public speaking skills became the decisive criterion that tipped the scales in Tereshkova's favor.

We must not look at life from the outside, but go along with it.

Valentina Tereshkova

14. Tatiana Tarasova, figure skating coach

Tatiana Tarasova's career as a figure skater was short-lived. In 1964, together with Georgy Proskurin, she won the World Universiade, but soon left the sport due to injury.

However, 41 gold medals at the world and European championships, seven Olympic gold medals won by her students can be recorded in Tarasova's piggy bank. She began coaching in 1967, almost immediately after the injury. Among her charges are Irina Rodnina, Alexey Yagudin, Sasha Cohen, Oksana Grischuk and many others.

My whole life consists of the lives of my students. Through them I spoke to the world. And millions of people listened to me. Not everyone gets this.

Tatiana Tarasova

15. Svetlana Aleksievich, writer, Nobel laureate

Aleksievich's books are based on the true stories of people who survived a difficult event, or their loved ones. The first work "The War Does Not Have a Woman's Face" was published in an incomplete version. The censors accused the author of naturalism and debunking the heroic image of a Soviet woman.

Every book by Aleksievich was subjected to similar attacks. However, she continued to tell stories about the wars, the Chernobyl accident, without trying to embellish them and smooth over the rough edges.

We were well taught to die. Much better than living. And we have forgotten how to distinguish war from peace, everyday life from being, life from death. Pain from screaming. Freedom from slavery. Now we need to find out the meaning of our life ourselves. Learning to just live. Without great history and great events.

Svetlana Alexievich

16. Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany

Angela Merkel has topped the Forbes list of the most powerful women in the world for seven years in a row. At the same time, she is famous for her modesty when it comes to everyday life. Having become the chancellor, the politician did not move to the service housing and continues to live with her husband in a rented apartment. Merkel most often appears in society in restrained pantsuits that differ from each other only in color.

The Chancellor is known for her ability to remain calm in critical situations, and considers Catherine the Great to be her role model. The Empress's portrait is on Merkel's desk. Another element on the politician's desk is a silver stand with the words "Strength in Calm".

We must never forget about our duties as politicians to our country and its citizens. We must always remain humble in the face of our people.

Angela Merkel

17. Michelle Obama, attorney, wife of the former President of the United States

Michelle Obama is known in wide circles no less than her husband. She left the White House with the same popularity rating as she entered it: 68%. She earned the love of the public with her openness, confidence and lack of fear to demonstrate that she is just a person. In the status of first lady, Michelle Obama did 25 push-ups on a comedy talk show, set up a garden in the courtyard of the White House and spoke extremely emotionally on issues important to America.

Sometimes I also want to do crazy things. But I'm not twenty anymore - I can't drive a sports car or jump from a bungee. So I just cut off the bangs.

Michelle Obama

18. Monica Bellucci, actress

Monica Bellucci celebrated her 50th birthday in 2014, but did not give up her position as one of the most beautiful and sexy women in the world. She has repeatedly said that she would not want to be twenty again and is not ready to go under the knife of a plastic surgeon to look young. In addition, Bellucci played the first mature Bond woman in the movie "007: Specter".

I'm not a Bond girl, I'm a Bond woman. Maybe even Lady Bond.

Monica Bellucci

19. Sofia Coppola, director

Sofia Coppola comes from a family of award-winning directors: her father and brother distinguished themselves on this path. That is why her creative path was not easy. At first, she tried to get away from the cinema, focusing on fashion. However, her debut film, Virgins Suicide, showed that she was able to tell the story from a different angle. Now Sofia Coppola is an independent film director, winner of an Oscar, Golden Globe, and two Palms at the Cannes Film Festival.

You don't have to be loud to say something important.

Sofia Coppola

20. Natalia Vodianova, model, actress

Vodianova is actively involved in charity work. After the tragedy in Beslan, she created the Naked Heart Foundation, which builds playgrounds in Russia and abroad. The organization also runs the Every Child Deserves a Family program, which supports families with special children.

I think jealousy always brings one loss. Generosity is the best investment.

Natalya Vodyanova