89 years ago on Thursday morning (May 20, 1932), 34-year old Amelia Earhart took off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland with the intention of flying to Paris in her single-engine Lockheed Vega 5B (you can see her famous plane in the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.) Remember, Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight was only 5 years earlier. After flying 14 hours, 56 minutes, while battling strong northernly winds, icy conditions, and mechanical problems, Earhart landed in a pasture near Derry, Northern Ireland. Famously, when a farm hand asked, "Have you flown far?" Earhart replied, “From America.”

For those of you not familiar with her, Earhart was one of the most famous women in the world in the 1920s and 1930s. She made a career of flying, writing, and lecturing. Born in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart set numerous aviation records, including being the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic (1932), and the first person to fly from Honolulu to Oakland, California (1935). She received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the US government for her solo flight across the Atlantic. In addition to her exploits in the air, she was an advocate for women’s equality, and helped form the Ninety-Nines, an organization for women pilots. Unfortunately, she went missing during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe at the equator in 1937.

I researched Amelia Earhart and her grit for my book Grow Your Grit (available for pre-order here). I wanted to share five quotes from her that didn’t make the book:

• The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.

• Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done.

• The most effective way to do it, is to do it.

• Adventure is worthwhile in itself.

• Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying.

On the 89th anniversary of her historic crossing of the Atlantic, use Amelia Earhart’s quotes to grow your grit and inspire you to go on the offensive.