1.“I love being on teams with working mothers. They are the highest functioning messes I know.” – Maricar Santos.
2.“As a working mother, I know that women can be both professionally ambitious and deeply committed to their families.” – Tory Burch.
3.“Working mothers’ laughter comes hardest when our double life is revealed for what it is: a juggling act in which the balls can drop at any time, invariably on our own head.” – Allison Pearson.
4.“Successful mothers are not the ones that have never struggled. They are the ones that never give up, despite the struggles.” – Sharon Jaynes.
5.“There’s something really empowering about going, ‘Hell, I can do this! I can do this all!’ That’s the wonderful thing about mothers, you can because you must, and you just do.” – Kate Winslet.
6.“Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy.” – Sheryl Sandberg.
7.“The balancing act of motherhood and a career, and being a wife, is something that I don’t think I’ll ever perfect, but I love the challenge of it.” – Kerri Walsh Jennings.
8.“If you want me to do the job, you’ve got to pay me to do the job and you’ve got to give me flexibility, and flexibility means that I will work my tail off for you, but you better pay me and value my family.” – Michelle Obama.
9.“If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t, you’re simply ducking your responsibilities.” – Ann Richards.
10.“The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because shit worked out. They got that way because shit went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways on a thousand different days, but they handled it. Those women are my superheroes.” – Elizabeth Gilbert.
11.“I stand, sit, and smile for my children’s memorable moment, which is in practice every moment. It’s exhausting but satisfying, like running a dozen kilometers on the treadmill – just cranked up to a thousand. And I haven’t slept in weeks.” – Unknown.
12.“You are not a bad mom because you go to work each day. Similarly, you are not a failure because you left your career altogether. Choices regarding work and family are personal. There is no one-size-fits-all method. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.” – Candace Alnaji.
13.“When I first became a mother, I suffered from serious ‘half-ass’ shame. I felt like I was mediocre at everything. I felt so stretched and so distracted (and exhausted). I said ‘Yes’ way too often in an effort to prove that I could do it all. I’ve worked so hard over the past decade to move from “What will people think” to ‘I am enough.” – Brene Brown.
14.“If I’m pursuing my goals, my kids are seeing me at my best. I am filled up, I am happy, I am not feeling empty, depleted, and therefore resentful about the fact that I’m missing out. I don’t want them to feel like I’ve sacrificed, I don’t want them to feel that burden. And I always remember that a happy working woman is a happy mother.” – Shonda Rhimes.
15.“No mom can do it all on her own. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness! When you need help, ask for it! When you are asked for help, give it – and offer it, too. In asking for help we can get past these too-hard-on-ourselves moments and instead build community with family, friends, and neighbors. Help – given and received – can help you achieve that acceptance of non-perfection – and the outcome may be even better than your initial vision of ‘perfect.” – Jen Klein.