She gave the world the little black dress and the bestselling perfume of all time. She designed clothing that freed women from the constraints of the corset, with details—think rounded collars and quilted handbags—that spurred nearly a century of imitations. But Parisian fashion legend Coco Chanel also gave us some pretty damn good quotes. Here are 15 you’ll appreciate.
1. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
2. “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress. Dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”
3. “The two men I’ve loved, I think, will remember me, on earth or in heaven. Because men always remember a woman who caused them concern and uneasiness.”
4. “Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. ”
5. “In order to be irreplaceacle, one must always be different.”
6. “You live but once; you might as well be amusing.”
7. “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”
8. “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.”
9. “Fashion changes, but style endures.”
10. “My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.”
11. “As long as you know men are like children, you know everything.”
12. “I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little, if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that’s the day she has a date with destiny. And it’s best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.”
13. “There is no time for cut-and-dried monotony. There is time for work. And time for love. That leaves no other time.”
14. “The best colour in the whole world is the one that looks good on you.”
15. “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
