Quotes by Michelle Bachelet

“Who could have thought 20, ten or five years ago, that Chile would elect a woman to be president!”

“Who would have thought 20, 10, five years ago, that Chile would elect a woman president? ... Thank you for inviting me to lead this voyage.”

“Who would have said, 10, 15 years ago -- that a woman would be elected president!”

“I am a woman, a socialist, separated and agnostic - all the sins together.”

“Today, men and women are valued the same.”

“Today we have won, the people have given me the first majority. Not even all the money of the candidate of the right can break the will of the majority on the night of January 15.”

“The presence of progressive governments can facilitate the coordination of policies among some of them, but as president, I will work with all regional democratic leaders.”

“I was a woman, separated, a socialist, an agnostic ... all possible sins together.”

“We will continue to do well what we have been doing well, maintaining a stable economy.”

“This Cabinet is a historic step for equality between men and women. These are people with considerable intellectual, professional and political prestige (who are) up to the great challenges we have ahead.”

The respect for human rights is nowadays not so much a matter of having international standards, but rather questions of compliance with those standards.

Gender equality will only be reached if we are able to empower women.

One of the factors a countrys economy depends on is human capital. If you dont provide women with adequate access to healthcare, education and employment, you lose at least half of your potential. So, gender equality and womens empowerment bring huge economic benefits.

The 2010 global gender gap report by the World Economic Forum shows that countries with better gender equality have faster-growing, more competitive economies.

Educational equality doesnt guarantee equality on the labor market. Even the most developed countries are not gender-equal. There are still glass ceilings and leaky pipelines that prevent women from getting ahead in the workplace.

When women earn the money for the family, everyone in the family benefits. We also know that when women have an income, everyone wins because women dedicate 90% of the income to health, education, to food security, to the children, to the family, or to the community, so when women have an income, everybody wins.

Violence against women in all its forms is a human rights violation. Its not something that any culture, religion or tradition propagates.

My father respected and admired my mother and was a person who was always standing by my side, encouraging me to do more and believed in my capacity. So in that sense, my own experience was very good in becoming an empowered woman. From early on, I carried that strong message: You can do it. So I never had any doubt that women can do a lot.

I took a gamble to exercise leadership without losing my feminine nature.

As a vibrant force in civil society, women continue to press for their rights, equal participation in decision-making, and the upholding of the principles of the revolution by the highest levels of leadership in Egypt.