Louisa May Alcott
The author behind the popular book, Little Women, is Louisa May Alcott. The decision of this legendary writer to stay single until she died created a stir in her then-conservative culture. She was quoted after visiting her married friend as saying that her friend’s “nest” was “very sweet and lovely, but I would rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe.”

Louisa May Alcott
Condoleezza Rice
The number of successful and strong-willed women who chose not to marry is growing, it seems. Condoleezza Rice is one perfect case. From 2005 to 2009, this prominent policymaker was the US Secretary of State. While she had been engaged to Rick Upchurch, an NFL player, for a short time, she was not married yet.

Condoleezza Rice