are called “SELF-worth” and “SELF-esteem” for a reason…we can’t let others decide what we are worth, that is so dangerous! Empower yourself!
—Jaeda DeWalt, author of Chasing Desdemona
The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
—Audrey Hepburn, piquant actress, dancer, and humanitarian
A charming woman…doesn’t follow the crowd. She is herself.
—Loretta Young, Oscar-winning actress
Every woman is a queen, and we all have different things to offer
—Queen Latifah, royal rap star, actress, talk show host, and TV and record producer
Badass Divinity Oshun: Not Your Grandmother’s Love Goddess
Known in Africa as the Mother of the River, Oshun is the Yoruba goddess of love, sensuality, and beauty. Though she is said to have a fierce temper when crossed, she most often uses her powers for the benefit of mankind. During the creation of the world, the blacksmith Ogun became tired of working and abandoned his tasks, retreating into the forest. Oshun entered the woods to draw him out, dancing and beguiling him with her splendor. Ogun was so inspired by her loveliness that he took up his tools with more skill and power than he had ever shown before.
Oshun is also a deity of courage and determination. In ancient times, humankind rebelled against Olodumare, the Lord of Heaven, and refused to serve him. Enraged Olodumare brought a drought upon the earth, and the people were afflicted with famine. Birds were sent to beg for the Lord’s forgiveness, but none of them was able to fly high enough to reach his house in the sun. Oshun, in the form of a peacock, was the only one able to complete the journey; but by the time she arrived, her beautiful feathers had been burned black as a vulture’s. Moved by her bravery, Olodumare restored her and ended the drought, naming her an honored Messenger of his house. As the embodiment of love, Oshun combines sexual allure and beauty with a strength that can overcome all obstacles.
Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.
—Nora Roberts, bestselling romance author
Love is the best medicine, and there is more than enough to go around once you open your heart.
—Julie Marie Berman, Emmy-award-winning television actress
He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.
—Bessie Stanley, writer and poetic author of the famed verse Success
To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be.
—Anna Louise Strong, international activist journalist
Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
—Emily Bronte, poet and author of the classic Wuthering Heights
Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible—it cannot be seen or measured, yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and to offer you more joy than any material possession could.
—Barbara De Angelis, author and transformational teacher
Infatuation is when you think he’s as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Connors. Love is when you realize that he’s as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford—but you’ll take him anyway.
—Judith Viorst, journalist and psychoanalytic researcher
Hate leaves ugly scars; love leaves beautiful ones.
—Mignon McLaughlin, journalist and author of The Neurotic’s Notebook and sequels
Love never reasons but profusely gives, like a thoughtless prodigal, it’s all, and trembles lest it has done too little.
—Hannah More, poet, playwright, religious writer, and philanthropist
Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.
—Zora Neale Hurston, novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist
Love is a game that two can play and both win.
—Eva Gabor, Hungarian-born actress, comedian, and singer
Badass Women Who Followed Their Bliss All the Way
Of Cockpits, Cocks and Bulls, and Other “Ladylike” Pursuits
Adalynn (Jonnie) Jonckowski: This card-carrying member of the cowgirl hall of fame has an unusual idea of a good time—hopping on the back of an angry bull and hanging on as long as possible. Called the “Belle of Billings” (Montana), she has repeatedly proved to be the world’s best bull rider. Adalynn’s winning attitude is evidenced here, “Any time you have the freedom to do what you want to do and exercise that freedom, you’re a champ.”
While Jonnie Jonckowski clings to the backs of angry Brahma bulls, Julie Krone has her own wild rides. Petite and determined, Julie Krone was the first female jockey to win the Triple Crown, a race at the Belmont Stakes. She has shown that women can ride the winning race and has $54 million worth of purses to show for it. (Jockeys keep 10 percent of the take, quite a motivator!) Even though Julie says that “times have changed” for women, she will still occasionally be heckled with yells of “Go home, have babies, and do the dishes,” when she loses. The wealthy winner’s final comment: “In a lot of people’s minds, a girl jockey is cute and delicate. With me, what you get is reckless and aggressive.”
Shirley Muldowney, born Belgium Roque, took on one of the last bastions of machodom—drag racing—and came up a winner. She fell in love with cars at the age of fourteen in Schenectady, New York, racing illegally “when the police weren’t looking.” At fifteen, she married mechanic Jack Muldowney, and they became a hot-rodding couple. Shirley