Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing.

"Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men." Thus spoke Katherine Johnson, a woman of numbers and stars, whose mind reached beyond the boundaries of her time. In her voice, there was neither bitterness nor pride, but the calm certainty of one who has seen truth for herself. Her words ring across generations as a hymn to equality, to courage, and to the imagination that rises where the world least expects it. Johnson, who once charted the course that would send humankind beyond the Earth, spoke not only of her own triumph but of a truth as ancient as creation itself: that ability and imagination know no gender—they are gifts of the soul, not the body.

In the days when she lived, the world was still bound by old illusions. The halls of science were filled with men, their voices echoing with formulas and certainty, while women’s talents were often confined to the margins. Yet within that narrow space, a quiet revolution stirred. Katherine Johnson, working among the “human computers” at NASA, was told to check numbers, not to dream them. But her mind did not obey such small instructions. When the nation looked to the heavens and asked, “Can we reach the moon?” it was her calculations that drew the path through space. She imagined trajectories where others saw only barriers. Thus, her life became proof that imagination is not bound by gender but fueled by vision.

This quote, then, is not a challenge but a revelation. Johnson’s words are a mirror held to humanity, showing us that the limits we place upon others are illusions we cast upon ourselves. She reminds us that the same fire that burns in the hearts of men burns in the hearts of women, and sometimes burns brighter for having been denied. The imagination of women, tested by centuries of silence, has grown sharp, resilient, and daring. From Hypatia, the ancient mathematician slain for her wisdom, to Ada Lovelace, who dreamed of machines that could think, history is filled with women who saw what others could not. Their minds reached beyond their age, guided by that same divine spark that once lit the heavens.

In Johnson’s time, even the stars themselves seemed the province of men. Yet when astronaut John Glenn prepared for flight, he refused to trust the machine until Katherine herself confirmed the numbers. “Get the girl to check the figures,” he said—and she did. Her imagination, precise and fearless, ensured his safe passage. In that moment, all the myths of superiority fell silent before the truth of her intellect. This is what Johnson meant: that women are not merely capable—they are essential. The human imagination, when freed from prejudice, becomes a force vast enough to carry us to the moon and beyond.

Let us then understand: the strength of imagination is not measured by muscle, nor by the sound of one’s voice in the chambers of power. It is measured by the courage to see what others cannot and to believe in what others dismiss. Women, long denied the chance to shape the world, have learned to imagine not only inventions but possibilities. Where doors are closed, they dream of new ones. Where they are told “no,” they imagine how to make “yes” inevitable. This is why Johnson said that sometimes, they have more imagination than men—for their dreams are tempered by struggle, their visions sharpened by resistance.

O daughters of the present age, remember her words! Let not the weight of history make you doubt your worth. The capability within you is ancient and divine, and imagination is your inheritance. Whether you seek the stars, the arts, or the hidden equations of the soul, know that you are limited only by what you accept as impossible. Do not wait for permission to create, to explore, to lead—begin where you stand, as Katherine Johnson did, with the courage to think for yourself.

And to the sons of this world, take heed of her wisdom as well. The measure of greatness is not in comparison but in collaboration. When men and women dream together, without boundary or pride, their imagination becomes unstoppable. The heavens themselves yield to such unity.

So let this teaching be carried forward: never doubt the power of a woman’s mind, nor the reach of her imagination. For when one soul dares to imagine freely, the world shifts upon its axis. Katherine Johnson proved that the stars do not belong to one gender—they belong to all who dare to calculate their path. Thus, remember: greatness is not granted—it is imagined, and imagination belongs to everyone who has the courage to believe.