Michelle Bachelet quotes - page 2

Michelle Bachelet is a Chilean politician and physician who served as the President of Chile for two non-consecutive terms. A champion of social justice and gender equality, she also became the first Executive Director of UN Women and later the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is recognized internationally for her leadership in advancing human rights and promoting progressive reforms. Here are 56 of her quotes:

By including women in decision-making, city governments will be in a better position to fulfill their responsibility to ensure the safety of their residents, especially women and girls.

Michelle Bachelet

There does not have to be trade-off between growth and social protection. A democracy does not mean much if it doesn't respond to the needs and will of its people.

Michelle Bachelet

I wouldn't be honest if I told you that in some moment of my life I had a lot of rage - probably hate - I'm not sure of hate, but rage. But you know what happens is that then you realize you cannot do to others what you think nobody has to do to anybody. Life is important for me and not any kind of life, quality too of life.

Michelle Bachelet

There has been a cultural shift. It is difficult to measure all that right now, but Chilean women have seen my presidency as a source of pride. Women are performing in jobs in Chile now that 20 or 30 years ago nobody would have dared to imagine.

Michelle Bachelet

It was said that Chile was not ready to vote for a woman, it was traditionally a sexist country. In the end, the reverse happened: the fact of being a woman became a symbol of the process of cultural change the country was undergoing.

Michelle Bachelet

Women say that my election represents a cultural break with the past - a past of sexism, of misogyny.

Michelle Bachelet

In any area of the U.N. we... have to agree on certain language that can represent the same spirit, but that can be accepted by everyone.

Michelle Bachelet

When I'm speaking of love, when I'm speaking of reversing hate, I'm speaking not only of reconciliation - even I don't use that word - I use another word in Spanish, that's called 'reencuentro' - it's not reconciliation.

Michelle Bachelet

We have had scarce investment in women... One of my tasks is that everyone spends much more on women.

Michelle Bachelet

The current global landscape is quite different from the not-too-distant past. The process of globalization has intensified, and the world is moving towards new forms of governance.

Michelle Bachelet

As the old joke goes, I have all the sins together. I am a woman, a Socialist, separated and agnostic.

Michelle Bachelet

As more and more women, men and young people raise their voices and become active in local government, and more local leaders take action for the safety of women and girls, change happens.

Michelle Bachelet

I believe that if you want to fight inequality you have to do it starting at infancy.

Michelle Bachelet

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

Michelle Bachelet

Violence ravaged my life. I was a victim of hatred, and I have dedicated my life to reversing that hatred.

Michelle Bachelet

It isn't that women are less ambitious, but women want to find a balance between work, love, and family.

Michelle Bachelet

Women's strength, women's industry, women's wisdom are humankind's greatest untapped resource. The challenge then for U.N. Women is to show our diverse constituencies how this resource can be effectively tapped in ways that benefit us all.

Michelle Bachelet

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

Michelle Bachelet

I'm working for the women in the world, today; that's my essential issue.

Michelle Bachelet

In artillery exercises, women always win because they're more accurate.

Michelle Bachelet

There is no city or country in the world where women and girls live free of the fear of violence. No leader can claim: this is not happening in my backyard.

Michelle Bachelet

Having more women in company boards, in senior management, supervisory positions and workers in the formal sector is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. It's good for the bottom line.

Michelle Bachelet