Joyce Banda Quotes

• Leadership is about falling in love with the people you serve and the people falling in love with you.

  Joyce Banda

  Falling In Love, Love You, People

  Joyce Banda's Speech at Nelson Mandela's Burial in Qunu, South Africa, awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu. December 15, 2013.

  59 Copy quote

• Most African women are taught to endure abusive marriages. They say endurance means a good wife but most women endure abusive relationship because they are not empowered economically; they depend on their husbands.

  Joyce Banda

  Husband, Mean, Wife

  22 Copy quote

• It is only when a woman is economically empowered that she can negotiate at household level with her husband about the number of children that body of hers can have.

  Joyce Banda

  Children, Husband, Numbers

  16 Copy quote

• I sat down in 1989 and I made up my mind at that point that I was going to spend the rest of my life assisting women and youth to gain social and political empowerment through business and education. I convinced myself economic empowerment of women was going to be key, especially in a country like this where most women didn't go to school.

  Joyce Banda

  Country, School, Keys

  "Joyce Banda: 'I want Malawians to say our country became a better place'" by Lucy Lamble, Nick Francis and Marc Francis, www.theguardian.com. December 17, 2012.

  9 Copy quote

• The first time I was privileged to meet president Mandela was during his visit to Malawi... shortly after he was released from prison. I was amazed by his humility and his great sense of leadership... Mandela's character has shaped my life.

  Joyce Banda

  Character, Humility, President

  17 Copy quote

• Lula da Silva was my hero when he was president. I Googled him so many times. The fact that he got 20 million people out of poverty... that happened by encouraging entrepreneurship, by supporting small business.

  Joyce Banda

  Hero, People, President

  "Joyce Banda: 'I want Malawians to say our country became a better place'" by Lucy Lamble, Nick Francis and Marc Francis, www.theguardian.com. December 17, 2012.

  14 Copy quote

• What I am saying every day to Malawians is that time has come for us to move from aid to trade. We have picked several sectors that we think we can focus on immediately in order for us to grow our economy. So we have decided to diversify agriculture, we decided to develop our tourism sector, we have decided to develop our mining sector.

  Joyce Banda

  Moving, Thinking, Uranium Mining

  "Malawi's head of state: 'Why I'm selling presidential jet'". Interview with Athena Jones, www.cnn.com. June 21, 2012.

  13 Copy quote

• My father made sure I was treated equally with my brothers.

  Joyce Banda

  Brother, Father, Made

  8 Copy quote

• When I took over, the economy had almost collapsed. I told Malawians we needed to pass through difficult times. Two days ago I even cut my own salary by 30% to show we are making sacrifices.

  Joyce Banda

  Cutting, Sacrifice, Two

  8 Copy quote

• When I gave birth to my fourth child, I suffered from post partum hemorrhaging. I almost lost my life. I was lucky to be under the care of trained health care personnel. I started wondering then what was happening to women in rural villages.

  Joyce Banda

  Children, Lucky, Village

  4 Copy quote

• Overall, I have formed three major organizations: the National Association of Business Women, the Young Women's Leaders Network, and the Joyce Banda Foundation. Under the foundation, we have a huge program that targets women to teach them about HIV and other diseases and to give them economic empowerment.

  Joyce Banda

  Organization, Giving, Leader

  8 Copy quote

• I have chosen to fight against corruption in this country, though I have been advised not to because we are drawing closer to this year’s Tripartite Elections. I know I am fighting against people who are smarter, wealthier and advanced.

  Joyce Banda

  Country, Fighting, Years

  9 Copy quote

• I got married at 22 and remained in an abusive marriage for 10 years. I made up my mind that that was never going to happen to me again. I made a brave step to walk out in a society when you didn't walk out of an abusive marriage. It was mental and physical abuse.

  Joyce Banda

  Years, Brave, Abuse

  5 Copy quote

• What I have said to my team is that at a point such as this, with 40% adjustment in our currency, it means that Malawians are paying the price. While that is going on, they need to see, us, the commitment on our part, particularly right at the top. The political will needs to go through this with the people, side by side.

  Joyce Banda

  Team, Mean, Commitment

  "Malawi's head of state: 'Why I'm selling presidential jet'". Interview with Athena Jones, www.cnn.com. June 21, 2012.

  6 Copy quote

• My dear husband, Richard, has been the driving force behind my success and rise to whatever level I am now. My story and legacy is incomplete without his mention.

  Joyce Banda

  Husband, Legacy, Stories

  4 Copy quote

• In 1989, I started the National Association of Business Women. We incorporated microfinance and different job training for women. We did a survey, with USAID, that found women lacked training, credit and information.

  Joyce Banda

  Jobs, Training, Different

  52 Copy quote

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