"My mom is an amazing listener, and that's taught me how to listen to my daughters. Sometimes we don't always want advice, just an open ear and a big hug."

Michelle Obama has made her family a priority(优先考虑的事) despite her demanding role as First Lady of the United States. To aid her and her husband in raising their children Malia and Sasha, the First Lady's mother , Marian Robinson moved into the White House.

As shown in the picture, Robinson is often seen at public family events such as turning on the lights of the National Christmas Tree during a ceremony on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington DC, December 9, 2010.

"Without a doubt, the most valuable lesson she imparted(传授) when I was growing up has to do with the importance of self-refelction as a way to stay true to your values and live a meaningful, balanced life. Checking in with yourself, making sure that you are genuinely learning, grwoing, nurturing your spirit and connecting with the world around you can make a huge difference in what you are able to achieve. "

Melinda Gates is a dinstinguished American businesswoman who is well-known for her philanthropic(慈善的) efforts as the co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation(盖茨基金会). She is pictured here with her mother and grandmother in 1978.

"My mother taught me family, manners and respect are the most important things in life."

Venezuelan(委内瑞拉人)-American designer Carolina Herrera has become a household name(家喻户晓的人) through her luxury(奢侈品，奢华) fashion house, which she started three decades ago. A former guest on Leading Women(CNN的一档专访各领域杰出女性的节目), she revealed how she turned being chic(时髦的) into a business with admirers including Jackie Onassis, Renee Zellweger and Tina Fey.

"Thank you, Mom, for inspiring me and encouraging me to lean in(向前一步) from my childhood until today. And thank you, Mom, for leaning in and making your children your life's work."

As one of the leading women of tech, Sheryl Sandberg is the COO（Chief Operating Officer首席运营官） of Facebook. As a recent guest of the show, she told CNN how she is pushing for female empowerment within the workplace by "leaning in."

In 2013 Sheryl published a book entitled Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead(向前一步：女人、工作和领导意志), in which she urges women to take risks and seek new challenges, to find work that they love, and to remain passionately engaged with it at the highest levels throughout their lives.

“The greatest lesson my mother taught me as a single, working, feminist mother in a strictly patriarchal(家长的，族长统治的) Turkish society was that I was an individual in my own right,regardless of whether I was a boy or a girl. From early age onwards, rather than assuming that my worth as a human being depended on "whose wife" or "whose mother" I would become some day, I learned to enrich my mind, open my heart and expand my universe. This, my mother showed me was possible.”

Elif Shafak is a renowned award-winning writer from Turkey. She has been described as "one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Turkish and world literature"(当代土耳其及世界文坛最鲜明的声音) and has received the honorary distinction of Chevalier of the Order of Art and Letters(文艺界骑士，法国文化部1957年设立的一个奖项).

"My grandmother seems to have a gift for forgiving(even if she does not forget)-- I wish I could mellow(成熟、柔和) with age and do the same."

Breaking on to the world stage at 15 years old, Vanessa Mae(陈美) is an internationally-renowned musician. While she does not have a close relationship with her mother, Vanessa remains extremely close with her grandmother Kim Chua(pictured together in Zermatt, Switzerland).

"Take it easy. there is nothing positive to be gained from negativity or negative energy. Anything good takes time to achieve and requires hard work, including studying, work or relationships or family in general, it's a long journey. No matter how different we all are-- family is family and values are the same."

Alek Wek is a Sudanese(苏丹的)-born supermodel who has taken runways by storm since emerging on the world's fashion scene in 1994. Since 2002, she has been an ambassador(大使、代表) for the United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees(联合国难民事务高级专员办事处). She told CNN,"My mother had nine children, and raised us through two civil wars(内战)and raised us through exile(流放), she has always had great strength and has always been so resilient(有弹力的，适应力强的), and her resilience when I look back is humbling. She always made us feel safe, she always just got on with things and protected us."

"I may not look like it, but I'm half-Chinese. My mother is a proud Chinese-American who was born in Taiwan. After another student mocked(嘲弄) my race in elementary school, my mother organized a school-wide assembly on Chinese culture. That was the first time in my young life I felt the pang of pride. I was proud of my identity and especially proud of my mother. She has taught me the value of positive engagement and education to fight bigotry(顽固) and ignorance- a value I hold dear today."

Kristie Lu Stout, one of the hosts of CNN's Leading Women, is an award-winning anchor/correspondent based in Hong Kong. She is also the host of the nightly news program News Stream and CNN's monthly feature on China.

"My mother taught me that failure is not the opposite of success, it's a stepping stone to success."

Arianna Huffington is best known for the internet-based news websites, The Huffington Post(《赫芬顿邮报》网站). Not content with roles as president, chair and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, the Greek-American has also had success as an author and columnist(专栏作家).

"I was brought up by my English mother in male dominated(男性主导的) Iran. Through her example I was taught that there is nothing a young girl cannot do. I learned first hand that a woman has choices and a woman is powerful. That a woman who runs her family well can also run the world."

Christiane Amanpour is CNN' chief international correspondent and anchor(新闻节目主播) of nightly foreign affairs show, Amanpour（CNN一档对话海外政要的夜间访谈节目). She has reported from every major world news event and hotspot, including Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea as well as having interviewed most of the world's leaders, including Moammar Gadhafi(卡扎菲), Hosni Mubarak(穆巴拉克), Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac(雅克·希拉克)and Hamid Karzai(哈米德·卡尔扎伊).

"My mother always taught me to be adaptable and to find ways to make the best of any situation. Growing up my parents broke up when I was four and I attended 13 different schools."

Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock (pictured right) is a well-known speace scientist from England. The photograph she has provided was taken at Buckingham Palace when she was awarded a Memeber of the British Empire by the queen in 2009. She says,"As an adult it was wonderful to have my mom beside me as I was given a medal from the Queen of England for services to Science and Education."

"There were many lessons my Mother taught me and I think of them often but the one that has helped me through the rough times is to remain positive and remember there will always be a tomorrow that will provide solutions."

Felicia Taylor is an anchor and correspondent for CNN international. She is also one of the hosts of Leading Women.

"Live life at your pace and on your terms. Make the decisions that make sense for you. Never wait for permission from someone else to do something you really want to do."

Caroline Mutoko is an influential radio presenter on Nairobi's(内罗毕,肯尼亚首都) Kiss 200 FM radio station, part of the Radio Africa brand. She is pictured with her young daughter Nduku.

"Never forget that you are alright."

Yoko Ono(小野洋子) is a Japanese musician and artist who was married to John Lennon. She has spent many years as an active campaigner for peace and women's rights.

"My mother's greatest gift was making me and my sister believe that at a very young age that we could achieve anything. While we were growing up in southern India, mom always made certain we set our sights high and worked tirelessly to achieve our dreams. She instilled(灌输) a sense of purpose and determination that guides me to this day, both in business and as a mother to my own two daughters."

India-American business executive Indra Nooyi is the present chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo(百事公司). Last year, Forbes(《福布斯》) ranked her 12th in their Power Women list.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/10/showbiz/gallery/famous-daughters-mothers-day-life-lessons/index.html