Happy International Women’s Day!

Happy International Women’s Day! You don’t have to be a woman to celebrate the holiday, but you do have to love them. And what’s not to love? They’re adoring wives and devoted mothers, spoiling grandmothers and fun aunts, mischievous sisters and loyal friends. They’re also talented artists, scientists, leaders and multitaskers.

Did you know that the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, was written in Japan around AD 1000 by a woman, Murasaki Shikibu? And the earliest recorded female physician was Merit Ptah, a doctor in ancient Egypt around 2700 B.C. She may be the first woman recorded by name in the history of all of the sciences. British Queen Victoria ruled from 1837 – 1901, over one of the largest empires in the history of the world–at one point controlling land on nearly every continent. Marie Curie is the only woman to ever win two Nobel Prizes, one for physics for spontaneous radiation (1903) and the other in chemistry for radioactivity (1911).

Jane Addams was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1931) for founding Hull House, an organization that improved quality of life for people by improving education and living conditions. The first woman to rule a country as an elected leader in the modern era was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, who was elected Prime Minister in 1960 and later re-elected in 1970. There are currently 17 countries with women as head of government, head of state, or both, which, according to the UN, has more than doubled since 2005.

And women are also have a way with words. They are eloquent and hilarious. In honor of some famous women and their incredible talent for inspring us and making us think and smile here are some some gems:

“I’d much rather be a woman than a man. Women can cry, they can wear cute clothes, and they’re the first to be rescued off sinking ships.” – Gilda Radner

“I have bursts of being a lady, but it doesn’t last long.” – Shelley Winters

“A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.”Jane Austen

“Women complain about PMS, but I think of it as the only time of the month when I can be myself.” -Roseanne Barr

“Make-up can only make you look pretty on the outside but it doesn’t help if you’re ugly on the inside. Unless you eat the make-up.” – Audrey Hepburn

“Big girls don’t cry? Yeah, they do. They cry ‘cos they’re fat, they cry ‘cos they can’t get a boyfriend, and they cry ‘cos there’s no trifle left.” – Sarah Millican

“Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.” – Katharine Hepburn

“Here’s the truth: there is an actual difference between male and female comedy writers. The men urinate in cups. And sometimes jars.” – Tina Fey

“I want a man who’s kind and understanding. Is that too much to ask of a millionaire?” – Zsa Zsa Gabor

“The trouble with some women is they get all excited about nothing – and then they marry him.” – Cher

“The reason women don’t play football is because 11 of them would never wear the same outfit in public.” – Phyllis Diller

“I used to be afraid of relationships. Somebody would ask me out and I’d say ‘Just take my purse, don’t hurt me.'” – Maria Bamford

“Some people think having large breasts makes a woman stupid. Actually, it’s quite the opposite: a woman having large breasts makes men stupid.” – Rita Rudner

“I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.” – Gloria Steinem

“It’s 2011. Women do that stuff… Women swear. Women get drunk. Women pass out in their own vomit.” – Kristen Wiig

“I don’t care if you think I’m racist, I just want you to think I’m thin.” – Sarah Silverman

“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” – Lucille Ball

“Sex appeal is fifty percent what you’ve got and fifty percent what people think you’ve got.” – Sophia Loren

“It’s a good thing I was born a girl, otherwise I’d be a drag queen.” – Dolly Parton

“I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.” – Joan Rivers

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

“Follow your passion. Stay true to yourself. Never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path. By all means, you should follow that.” – Ellen DeGeneres

“I don’t want to make any money, I just want to be wonderful.” – Marilyn Monroe

“I think, therefore I am single.” – Lizz Winstead