Wonder Woman has been around for many years and, to this day, remains one of the best comic book characters. It’s actually surprising it took DC so long to come out with a movie for her. The film released in 2017 was undoubtedly the best DC movie to date.
Part of what makes Wonder Woman so great is that she empowers other women. She has a habit of saying the right words to make them feel like they can take on the world. Since there’s a severe lack of female representation in the comic world (although, thankfully, it’s beginning to change), she’s always meant a great deal to girls everywhere.
Updated on August 27th, 2021, by Rich Keller: There are so many empowering quotes by Wonder Woman that this list can probably be updated monthly. Out of all the DC heroes, she is the one that provides the most hope, even when she's battling for the soul of others. Additionally, over the last few decades, Diana has become a model for strength and courage.
25 "If You Need To End A War, You Call Wonder Woman."
Gail Simone knows a bit about Wonder Woman. She became the longest-running female writer of the character. Between 2006 and 2010 she penned 30 issues of Wonder Woman vol. 3. More than a decade later, she's remembered for her tenure.
During her run on the series, she said something empowering that still rings true today. "If you need to stop an asteroid, you call Superman. If you need to solve a mystery, you call Batman. But if you need to end a war, you call Wonder Woman." It's been shown in miniseries like Infinite Crisis and Dark Nights: Death Metal.
24 "We Can't Help The Way We're Born."
In the young adult novel Wonder Woman: Warbringer, author Leigh Bardugo describes a tale of Diana before she became the ambassador to Man's World. To prove herself. the adolescent princess saves a mortal who isn't Steve Trevor. It's a girl named Alia.
Turns out, she's no ordinary female. Alia is descended from Helen of Troy and is fated to become the Warbringer. It's to this information that Diana responds, "We can’t help the way we’re born. We can’t help what we are, only what life we choose to make for ourselves." In other words, she empowers Alia not to be the person she was slotted to become.
23 "If My Life Is Part Of That Cost, I Give It Gladly."
As Gail Simone said, Wonder Woman ends wars. One of the more recent examples of this is in 2021's Dark Nights: Death Metal #7. She's about to side with The Batman Who Laughs to save the people she loves. Then, when he asks her to imagine it, Diana pictures a bright Earth and shoves the evildoer into a black hole.
When she comes to, a spirit dressed like the Golden Age Wonder Woman informs her they're restoring the Multiverse for a cost. This is when Diana responds, "If my life is part of that cost, I give it gladly." It's a message of empowerment that tells readers to think of people other than themselves.
22 "They'll Only Haunt You If You Forget What They Taught You"
In Kingdom Come, Superman and Wonder Woman have a complicated relationship. Initially, she encourages him to come out of retirement to help capture Magog and calm the younger metahumans. However, as the series moves on, Diana becomes the opposite of Clark. She thinks violence is the final outcome while he still feels they can be taught.
Once cooler heads prevail and everyone starts to put the world back together at the end of Kingdom Come #4, Diana visits Clark at a memorial to fallen heroes and citizens. When he laments about all who died, she says, "Let them rest in peace, Kal. They'll only haunt you if you forget what they taught you."
21 "I Have A Warrior's Heart, But I Am Not Unmoved By Your Words"
In the first segment of Action Comics #600 by John Byrne and George Perez, Superman kisses Wonder Woman full on the mouth. This is not a scene from their relationship during the New 52 era. Instead, it occurs shortly after the rebirth of these characters in the post Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity.
What follows is confusion. Clark thought Diana felt a romantic interest in him. She admits it by saying, "I have a warrior's heart, but I am not unmoved by your words." Unfortunately, their first date is interrupted by Darkseid. In the end, they agree a relationship between the two wouldn't work. Regardless, the quote empowers women to be both a fighter and a lover.
20 "You Are Many To Many..."
"You are many to many, peace-maker and war-fighter, supplicant, aspirant, penitent, the true friend and the boon companion, the trusted soul, and the truth-speaker... and you have been deceived." This quote actually comes from what turns out to be a fairly low moment in Wonder Woman's life. Rebirth brought a lot of drastic changes from what had come before for Diana. Namely the New 52 run of Wonder Woman had her discover that everything she thought she knew about her history was a complete lie and that she had not been home to the true Themyscira in a very long time.
Wonder Woman said these things to herself under the influence of her Lasso of Truth, aka the Golden Perfect. It had Wonder Woman admit to herself the complex and powerful individual she was and that forces had been working against her to keep her from learning her own true history.
19 "So Long As Life Remains, There Is Always Hope..."
"So long as life remains, there is always hope... and so long as there is hope, there can be victory!" This quote comes from the legendary run of Wonder Woman by George Perez and Len Wein. This issue finds Wonder Woman facing down Ares, the God of War. He was threatening to launch the world into nuclear war, and Wonder Woman is the only one who can stop him.
He condescends to Diana, telling her that she has no chance of victory and that his power is unmatched. The above quote is what Diana says in response.
18 "I'm Willing To Accept The Consequences."
“If it means interfering in an ensconced, outdated system, to help just one woman, man or child… I’m willing to accept the consequences.” This quote is a declaration of intent and dedication from Diana. In this issue by Phil Jiminez and Joe Kelly, she lets the world know that, above all else, she values life and is willing to preserve it at all costs.
This runs somewhat contrary to Superman and Batman. While saving lives is the top priority for these heroes, they have been known to let possibly unjust laws and public perceptions, at times, become stumbling blocks on their paths to justice.
17 "It Will Make A Difference."
“Because no matter how small an act of kindness or generosity or simple positivity you put out into the world, it will make a difference.” This quote is very Diana, as she aims to be kind and compassionate in addition to being a fighter for justice.
She wants to put goodness and love into the world, no matter how subtle or small the action may seem. She is easily among the kindest heroes in the DC Universe, and that's one of the major things that help her stand out from the pack.
16 "Don't Raise Your Hand Until You've First Extended It"
“We have a saying, my people. Don’t kill if you can wound, don’t wound if you can subdue, don’t subdue if you can pacify, and don’t raise your hand at all until you’ve first extended it.” This one comes from an issue of Wonder Woman written by the fantastic Gail Simone with art from the amazingly talented Bernard Chang.
In a universe full of characters whose first response to most situations is throwing punches, Wonder Woman always tries to seek peace before resorting to violence. This is shown in Rucka and Sharpe's Wonder Woman when she seeks to make peace with her archnemesis, Cheetah.
15 “If No One Else Will Defend The World, Then I Must.”
This quote is from the 2017 movie Wonder Woman and, it honestly says a lot about her. She’s not out for glory and or credit. Nor did she rush into the superhero role because she wanted people to praise and worship her.
She defends the world because it’s the right thing to do, which is a good lesson for everyone everywhere. Sure, we don’t all have Wonder Woman powers to go out there and defend the world. The point is that people should do things because they’re right, not because they want the bragging rights.
14 “My Life Hasn't Been What You Probably Think It Has. We All Have Our Struggles.”
*Wonder Woman 1984 comes with some more words of wisdom from Diana Prince. While talking to Barbara Minerva, aka The Cheetah, she reveals a bit more about herself. She says, "My life hasn't been what you probably think it has. We all have our struggles."
It's a reminder that everyone is fighting a silent battle. While scrolling through social media on a bad day and seeing friends with seemingly perfect lives, remember that no one knows everything about everyone. People all have their bad days and struggles just as Diana says.
13 “If Loss Makes You Doubt Your Belief In Justice, Then You Never Truly Believed In Justice At All.”
It's quite the statement to make, and one that requires some thought. Wonder Woman is essentially saying that if someone's core beliefs are shaken by a personal experience, maybe it was never part of their moral code or intrinsic belief system in the first place. Of course, this doesn't apply to everything.
Nevertheless, she's basically saying not to let an unfair world affect your belief in justice, which is always right. Though justice is, of course, subjective.
12 “Do Not Mistake A Desire To Avoid Violence With An Inability To Deal With It.”
Wonder Woman has always been something of a pacifist. She doesn’t particularly like fights or violence, but this quote reminds us of her true strength. There’s a threat in these words. Just because she doesn’t like to fight doesn’t mean she won’t win. It’s a great quote because there’s a misconception that pacifists or kind people are weak. Here, Wonder Woman reminds everyone that this simply isn’t true. The barely veiled threat in this sentence is just awesome.
And she sticks to her word because when a fight arises, Wonder Woman usually comes out on top. She has no problem holding her own, even if she doesn’t like violence! Her powers make sure of that.
11 “I Am The Man Who Can.”
Steve Trevor is a well-meaning guy, but he's still human. That means he sometimes says things born from the position of being a man of his time and not really considering that women might be equally as capable. In the Wonder Woman movie, he tells Diana that she can’t do much about the war, and that they should go find the men who can.
Her response is the perfect retort. She’s not really calling herself a man. Diana is pointing out that she is absolutely as capable as any man they could go find. The sheer girl power in this quote is great.
10 “Power Without Self-Control Tears A Girl To Pieces.”
Although Wonder Woman is very powerful, her quotes also make others feel the same way. This is a great one because it reminds people to have self-control. It’s easy to get carried away in life, to end up walking all over people when given some power in a job or personal relationship. Then here's Wonder Woman, reminding everyone of another life lesson: power is great, but you have to reign it in or you’ll destroy yourself.
Is there no base that she doesn’t touch on when it comes to giving us life lessons? If she wrote a self-help book, it would be read it cover to cover.
9 “What One Does With The Truth Is More Difficult Than You Think.”
Wonder Woman often seems like a character extremely firm in her moral beliefs. She's unforgiving and perhaps tends to view the world in black and white. So, this quote is a nice reminder that Diana is very aware of subjectivity and the shades of grey that come with justice.
The truth is something that shakes people, and they don't always do the right thing when presented with unpleasant news. In fact, it's difficult for these individuals to do the right thing. The quote makes Wonder Woman appear a bit softer and somewhat forgiving. Furthermore, it inspires others to be more understanding of those struggling with unpleasant truths.
8 “I Used To Want To Save The World…”
“I used to want to save the world. To end war and bring peace to mankind. But then I glimpsed the darkness that lives within their light. I learnt that inside every one of them there will always be both. The choice each must make for themselves — something no hero will ever defeat.”
Wonder Woman says this at the end of her first movie, and it’s an honest message. Inside every person there’s darkness and light. In the end, “it is our choices who define who we are, far more than our abilities.” In other words, if good choices are made, then no one is inherently bad.
7 “I Will Fight For Those Who Cannot Fight For Themselves.”
This is Diana Prince all over. She’s not fighting her own battle and isn’t interested in gaining anything from what she does. She simply wants to protect the weak and innocent. Not because it advances her anywhere in life. It's because she’s altruistic, so it’s the right thing to do.
And it’s a nice lesson. This would be an ideal world if everyone wanted to protect those innocents who couldn’t fight for themselves for no reason other than it being the right thing to do.
6 “Death Is Necessary. It Is A Part Of Life And If We Say Life Is A Blessing, We Must Say Death Is A Blessing As Well.”
Death is a huge fear for some people. It's the kind of thing they lie awake and worry about deep into the night. Furthermore, it’s understandably anxiety-inducing because it’s an inevitable and terrifying thing that’s going to happen. Wonder Woman even has an empowering way of looking at this as what she says is oddly true. If we’re grateful for life, then death is just a part of what comes right at the very end.