Quotes for Powerful Women

Helen Gurley Brown

Helen Gurley Brown was the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine for 32 years, beginning her tenure in 1965. In the early 1960s, while working as a secretary for Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency, her writing capabilities advanced her to the copywriting department where she reportedly rose quickly in the ranks. She eventually became one of the highest paid copywriters in the United States for her time.

In 1962, at the age of 40, she published her best-selling nonfiction advice book for women, “Sex and the Single Girl, ” which advocated financial independence from men (as well as experiencing sex before marriage). (“Sex and the Single Girl” inspired the 1964 film of the same title with Natalie Wood and Henry Fonda). The book, which sold two million copies in the first three weeks, was a triple bestseller, making the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and Time bestseller lists. “Sex and the Single Girl” was published in 28 countries.