Each year we celebrate the powerful and most inspiring women in our lives: our mothers. We gather many qualities from our mothers, including strength, passion, kindness, determination and love. While we should really celebrate our mothers each and every day, you can start with these inspiring words from celebrities who are strong women who have admitted imperfection, but are wonderful mothers.
On this day, we say thank you. Now go hug your mom.
“That natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children.”
— Jessica Lange
“The fastest way to break the cycle of perfectionism and become a fearless mother is to give up the idea of doing it perfectly—indeed to embrace uncertainty and imperfection.”
— Arianna Huffington
“When my mother took her turn to sit in a gown at her graduation, she thought she only had two career options: nursing and teaching. She raised me and my sister to believe that we could do anything, and we believed her.”
— Sheryl Sandberg
“What greater aspiration and challenge are there for a mother than the hope of raising a great son or daughter?”
— Rose Kennedy
“I am Gabrielle Anwar: mother, love, daughter, sister, friend, and creator in the pursuit of happiness.”
— Gabrielle Anwar
“There’s something really empowering about going, ‘Hell, I can do this! I can do this all!’ That’s the wonder thing about mothers, you can because you must, and you just DO.”
— Kate Winslet
“There is an unspoken pact that women are supposed to follow. I am supposed to act like I constantly feel guilty about being away from my kids. (I don’t. I love my job.) Mothers who stay at home are supposed to pretend they are bored and wish they were doing more corporate things. (They don’t. They love their job.)”
— Amy Poehler
“I’ve learned the value of absorbing the moment. I remember the first time Ripley saw her shadow. My God, it was like shadows had just been invented. It was the most exquisite moment.”
— Thandie Newton
“My instinct is to protect my children from pain. But adversity is often the thing that gives us character and backbone. It’s always been a struggle for me to back off and let my children go through difficult experiences.”
— Nicole Kidman
“When Valentina was not even 1 month old, my aunt [gave me the best advice]: ‘Put her to sleep yourself every night. Sing to her and cradle her in your arms and sit by her side—every night. Because one day you won’t be able to, and it’s going to happen really fast.’ “
— Salma Hayek