Dalia Grybauskaite: If we take into account that women have had the ri...

The examples of female success stories are important on the global scale, as they help to disseminate the idea of gender equality and to spread the roots for the actual implementation of equal rights for women and men and democratic values among different cultures, societies and traditions.

Dalia Grybauskaite

roots men ideas

The world has become more diversified, with women becoming a real power of change.

Dalia Grybauskaite

becoming real world

My advice and wish to every woman in my country and in the world is very simple: Do not be afraid to be yourself, to have your dream, your vision, and to go for it. We can achieve a lot if we are sincerely committed to our goals and work hard to realize them.

Dalia Grybauskaite

being-yourself dream country

There is an English saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Women often become these tough ones.

Dalia Grybauskaite

going-gets-tough tough

If women decide that their mission, their political career, balances out what they have to give up, they can be and are equally successful as men.

Dalia Grybauskaite

giving-up successful men

With the danger of terrorism and war spreading in the world, now is the right moment to stop and reconsider our actions and do everything possible to bring an end to the fighting, be it in your own homeland, neighboring countries, or in your region.

Dalia Grybauskaite

fighting war country

Hard work, courage and commitment - these are the key elements for success.

Dalia Grybauskaite

hard-work keys commitment

I ran for president because I wanted to help Lithuania and its people during a difficult time. My country was on the very edge of an economic crisis, and people were disappointed by the economic situation and the political elite. We all needed change and motivation to consolidate our efforts in order to overcome the difficulties.

Dalia Grybauskaite

motivation order country

During my election campaign I was not giving out empty promises, but invited every member of society to join the efforts to work for a better life in Lithuania.

Dalia Grybauskaite

effort giving promise

For a small open economy that trades mostly with the euro zone it makes absolute sense to be part of the currency union. Our currency has already pegged to the euro since 2002. We don't have an independent monetary policy. We are regulated by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, but we are not able to reap all the profits. Our businesses want to save the transaction costs.

Dalia Grybauskaite

unions independent cost

Traditionally, women have a lot of different roles in society. It is very difficult to balance all these roles and at the same time to compete with men. A leading, successful woman has to put in much bigger efforts to be more competent and faster, more dynamic and organized, than a successful man.

Dalia Grybauskaite

effort successful men

While I am a lawyer by profession and have travelled to several countries, working and educating myself, I came from a rural background in a Third World country at a time when women were told what their place was and whose mothers enjoyed even less.

Dalia Grybauskaite

mother country world

I am a person of action. If I see I can bring a positive change, I will go for it, never mind that something might be hard to achieve.

Dalia Grybauskaite

mind action might

If there were more women heads of state in the world, the world would be more peaceful and better focused on the improvement of the overall quality of life and welfare.

Dalia Grybauskaite

peaceful quality world

There are many examples of female leaders who are not afraid to take responsibility and openly face the challenges in the worst situations.

Dalia Grybauskaite

worst-situation leader responsibility

Women are more focused on the development of the quality of life in their countries. They are more involved in social and family policies, childcare, and poverty reduction.

Dalia Grybauskaite

poverty-reduction quality country

I have learned from my own experience that if you work hard you will succeed.

Dalia Grybauskaite

i-have-learned succeed hard-work

I never had ambition to become president of the state or to accomplish more than men.

Dalia Grybauskaite

ambition president men

I don't subscribe to that school of thought that leadership can be altogether defined by gender.

Dalia Grybauskaite

gender defined school

We do not have many women leaders in the world. But if you look at the current examples, most of those few female leaders that we have today lead their countries under the pressure of difficult political and economic circumstances. They all posses strong personalities and have real political influence on the domestic and international scene.

Dalia Grybauskaite

strong real country

If we take into account that women have had the right to vote only for some 100 years - in some countries even less - and that we have already won seats in governments or presidential offices, I understand that men look at this rise with some anxiety.