You've read the inspirational quotes in She Said What? - here are more from the book's contributors...
Who was the single greatest influence in your career and why?
"My mother never taught me about glass ceilings, just that I could do anything I set my heart on."
- Louise Cox
"My dad is a surgeon who has devoted his working life to service in the public sector and has instilled in our family an ethos of 'giving back'."
- Lisa Newman
"Germaine Greer, a fellow Australian feminist, opened the door to every possibility for women and her book, The Female Eunuch, is second only in sales to the Bible - and rightly so: it's the women's bible."
- Dale Spender
"A CEO and mentor saw potential in me at an early stage of my management career and gave me amazing learning opportunities. It would have been the height of ingratitude not to work my tail off to prove his judgement right."
- Karyn Brinkley
What is the best advice you have ever received and from whom?
"You can be whatever you want to be. Head down, ass up and remember you meet on the way down those you passed on the way up! Avoid making enemies. Enjoy your life and make priorities, and stick to them. Remember one door opens when another closes."
- Virgina Fay
"'Know what you don't know - and seek it out' - a retired politician from the 1970s who would wish to remain anonymous."
- Beryce Nelson
"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.' Rhonda Packyn, a trainer and mentor of mine in 1986. She was right, you get more and do more if you take risks."
- Anne Gately
What piece of advice would you give to a woman just starting out in her career?
"Don't let people mistake your niceness for weakness."
- Jan Becker
"Stand tall, believe in yourself and ask for help when you need it."
- Sue Rider
"Be positive, be purposeful and have confidence in your own ability.
-Robyn Potter
"Don't give up, or give in. Don't expect everything to go according to plan. Success is hard work and a big, big dose of tenacity."
- Emily-Jade O'Keefe
"Don't over explain."
- Vivienne Anthon
What phrase or short anecdote resonates fiercely with you as a woman?
"Don't die wondering what would have been; have a crack."
- Helen Gluer
"Of course I can."
- Anne-Marie Birkill
"Your greatest work is often done after you've left as the ideas sink in."
- Sue Chapman
"Reach high, for the stars lay hidden deep in your soul and dream deep, for every dream proceeds the goal."
- Fleur Madden-Topley
What was the biggest obstacle for women to overcome/conquer in the last ten years?
"The limitations other assume for us have been bad enough, let alone our own tendency to put limitations on ourselves."
- Marina Vit
"Women create unrealistic expectations for themselves and other women."
- Jenny Woodward
"Support in the role of management. We have talked about glass ceilings, glass elevators, but the biggest obstacle can be no support around us. Unfortunately it can be women, not men, who do not support us in our role. Women need to be more supportive of each other in business and unite."
- Jodie Bache-McLean
"Life is about creating joy, happiness and contentment by finding a realistic balance and being savvy and flexible enough to realign the see-saw when the wind blows."
- Belinda Clark
"If you can get a thrill riding the highs and lows as well, you’ve made it!"
- Margaret Allison
What will be the biggest challenge for career and business women in the next decade?
"Balance: Sustainability, courage and how we will perform when we are handed the responsibility to drive the agendas."
- Linda Brown
"The biggest obstacle is still there – women are in record majority numbers in university courses, prize-winners in a range of fields, and highly-sought in the junior-intake levels of companies. And yet we are still less than 10% of decision-makers (company directors) in Australian companies. The intangible barriers to entry for women making it in (even close to) equal numbers in corporate decision-making groups (i.e. boards) still need to be identified, examined, understood and broken down."
- Elizabeth Jameson
"Achieving recognition for the skills and contributions to the workplace - getting better balance between work and other interest."
- Noela L'Estrange
How do you define success?
"Knowing what you were put on this earth to do, and finding ways every day to do it."
- Karyn Brinkley
"Control of one’s personal situation, being able to set a purpose and fulfil it."
- Sue Rider
"Discovering what is truly important to you, and achieving that without losing yourself."
- Virginia Fay
"You know it when you feel it."
- Grace Grace
"Making a contribution to the community - building a better world."
- Jude Munro
"Achieving your goals and having fun along the way."
- Jill Lange-Mohr
