Jane Fonda, an actress and activist, has lived a life marked by transformation and advocacy.
With a career spanning more than six decades, Fonda has not only been celebrated for her achievements in film and television but also revered for her commitment to social, environmental, and political causes.
From her opposition to the Vietnam War to her recent efforts in combating climate change, Fonda’s voice has been a powerful catalyst for change, inspiring many to take action on issues close to their hearts.
In this collection, we’ve curated some of Jane Fonda’s most memorable quotes — especially those about making a difference.
Whether you admire her for her artistic talents or her dedication to activism, Fonda’s words are sure to inspire reflection and encourage a deeper commitment to personal and social transformation.
The Best Quotes from Jane Fonda
Famous Quotes
“Stay curious, keep learning, and keep growing. And always strive to be more interested than interesting.”
— Jane Fonda
“Let's stop hoping and let's start taking action. Hope won't get us a cup of coffee.”
— Jane Fonda, in an interview
“When you can’t remember why you’re hurt, that’s when you’re healed.”
— Jane Fonda
“The challenge is not to be perfect… it’s to be whole.”
— Jane Fonda
“Instead of changing straws and lightbulbs, we need to focus on changing policy and politicians. We need large numbers of people working together for solutions that work for the climate.”
— Jane Fonda, in an article
“You don’t learn from successes, you don’t learn from awards, you don’t learn from celebrity, you only learn from wounds and scars and mistakes and failures.”
— Jane Fonda
“I don’t want my wrinkles taken away — I don’t want to look like everyone else.”
— Jane Fonda
Inspirational Quotes
“If you allow yourself you can become stronger in the very places that you’ve been broken.”
— Jane Fonda
“Nothing can change until we acknowledge what is, as I have learned over time.”
— Jane Fonda
“My greatest asset is that I am constantly changing.”
— Jane Fonda
“Our young people are assets to be cultivated and nurtured; let’s begin treating them that way.”
— Jane Fonda
“I have people in my life who will say, ‘Honey, you’re trying too hard.’ I like being saucy, but I’m 73 and a half. I’m still trying to find my way between matronly and coltishness.”
— Jane Fonda
“You’re more powerful when talking from your soul.”
— Jane Fonda
On Life
“It’s never too late — never too late to change your life, never too late to be happy.”
— Jane Fonda
“The more you treat yourself positively, the less you’ll want or need to be negative.”
— Jane Fonda
“Instead of drifting along like a leaf in a river, understand who you are and how you come across to people, and what kind of an impact you have on the people around you and the world, so that when you go out, you can feel you have made a positive difference.”
— Jane Fonda
“I am able to talk about my life in a way that helps other women — and men, but mostly women — understand their own life. I feel real proud of that. And then the fact that my children are okay. You know, you’re only as happy as your least happy child. So if your kids aren’t okay, you’re not good.”
— Jane Fonda
“The most incredible beauty and the most satisfying way of life come from affirming your own uniqueness.”
— Jane Fonda
On Love
“Real love and intimacy can be much more possible when you’re older.”
— Jane Fonda
“I don’t need a man to feel whole. In my marriages, I’d lost parts of who I was because I was trying to mold myself into what I thought a man wanted me to be.”
— Jane Fonda
“I can look at Tom now, and Ted, and I can understand why I loved them, and also be totally amazed that I could spend as much time with them as I did.”
— Jane Fonda
“All my life I had believed that unless I was perfect I would not be loved.”
— Jane Fonda
On Activism & Making a Difference
“Revolution is an act of love; we are the children of revolution, born to be rebels. It runs in our blood.”
— Jane Fonda
“What am I here for if not to be used by good people for good things? I’m part of an organization, and you could also be cynical as you are and ask me ‘Isn’t the organization using me?’ But you could also think ‘Aren’t I using the organization just the way the gays and lesbians here are using the organization they’re a part of?’ If it helps give us perspective, helps us keep our values intact, it increases our power – because as individuals we don’t have very much, but all together, we have a lot of power.”
— Jane Fonda, in an interview, 1979
“We’re at a very important moment — we have an election coming, we have a pandemic crisis, we have a race crisis — and we have a choice to make. We can keep seeing all these things happen, or we can do something about it.”
— Jane Fonda, in an interview
“I knew that my newfound activism and feminism was going to improve my acting, because I was seeing things not just in very narrow, individual, kind of Freudian terms, but seeing them in a much broader, societal way that was going to deepen and enrich my talent.”
— Jane Fonda
→ Read more quotes about activism
→ Read more quotes about making a difference
On Feminism
“Feminism is not just about women; it’s about letting all people live fuller lives.”
— Jane Fonda
“I think feminism is about the spirit.”
— Jane Fonda
“To be a revolutionary you have to be a human being. You have to care about people who have no power.”
— Jane Fonda
“I see many more men who are feminists, or at least who have learned about life in the context of feminism.”
— Jane Fonda
“For so long, it seemed like if you said you were a feminist, you were anti-men. I think that’s dissipated for the most part now. I hope that men understand that the fight for equality benefits everyone, and that it’s in everyone’s best interest to have men and women be able to shoulder the same societal responsibilities at every single level — economically, militarily, spiritually, parentally.”
— Jane Fonda
“In this country, the only way a minority can get anything done is to make a little noise.”
— Jane Fonda
“Feminism is not just about women; it’s about letting all people lead fuller lives.”
— Jane Fonda
“I finally got it: empower girls and everything changes.”
— Jane Fonda
→ Read more quotes about feminism
On Environmentalism
“We can’t have healthy people on a sick planet.”
— Jane Fonda, in an interview
“There’s no way we’re going to have democracy or equality or end racism or anything if we can’t tame the climate crisis.”
— Jane Fonda, in an interview
“I go to secondhand stores, the repurposing of clothes. That's what I do if I have to. But basically I haven't changed size and I wear the same clothes I wore 30 years ago. So why buy more? Clothes get thrown away and it's not good for the environment, so I just don't do it anymore.”
— Jane Fonda
“Today, the climate crisis requires collective action on a scale that humanity has never accomplished.”
— Jane Fonda, in an article
→ Read more quotes about sustainability
On Friendship
“I never used to be intentional… you have to pursue people you want to be friends with. You have to say ‘I’m intentionally wanting to be your friend.’ It works — people hear that, and they stick around.”
— Jane Fonda
“I am blessed beyond reason with women friends.”
― Jane Fonda
“Women’s friendships are like a renewable source of power.”
— Jane Fonda
Short Quotes
“We’re not meant to be perfect. It took me a long time to learn that.”
— Jane Fonda
“You couldn’t pay me to be 20 again.”
— Jane Fonda
“The institution of marriage is obsolete.”
— Jane Fonda
“I find that arduous physical labor can jump-start my thought process.”
— Jane Fonda
“I love mistakes because it’s the only way you learn.”
— Jane Fonda
“One part of wisdom is knowing what you don’t need anymore and letting it go.”
— Jane Fonda
→ Explore more short quotes
More Quotes
“The most important thing to do as you age is to stay physically active. Lots of people just throw in the towel if they can’t do what they used to do, and that’s terrible.”
— Jane Fonda
“People think actresses find public speaking easy, and it’s not easy at all; we’re used to hiding behind masks.”
— Jane Fonda
“What we view in the media — and who presents it to us — does so much to determine how we think, how we feel about ourselves, and how we view the world.”
— Jane Fonda
“We’re still living with the old paradigm of age as an arch. That’s the old metaphor: You’re born, you peak at midlife and decline into decrepitude. A more appropriate metaphor for aging is a staircase. The upward ascension of the human spirit, bringing us into wisdom, wholeness, and authenticity.”
— Jane Fonda
“As I read this, I am about to turn 78. And though I know you’ll find this impossible to believe, this is the happiest I have ever been. It was all worth it, the good and the bad. So don’t give up. I’m proud of you because you will never settle for less than you think you can attain.”
— Jane Fonda
