Happy birthday to legendary civil rights and women’s rights activist Dorothy Height! Born in 1912, Height was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years and served as an advisor to U.S. presidents and world leaders.

On what would have been her 108^th birthday, here are four quotes that inspire us:

1. “Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.”

2. “We have to improve life, not just for those who have the most skills and those who know how to manipulate the system. But also for and with those who often have so much to give but never get the opportunity.”

3. “If the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the time.”

4. “I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom…. I want to be remembered as one who tried.”

Today, let’s celebrate Height, and continue her fight for representation and equality.