I have never had to face anything that could overwhelm the native optimism and stubborn perseverance I was blessed with.
SONIA SOTOMAYORThere are no bystanders in life. Our humanity makes us each a part of something greater than ourselves.
More Sonia Sotomayor Quotes
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Through reading, I escaped the bad parts of my life in the South Bronx. And, through books, I got to travel the world and the universe. It, to me, was a passport out of my childhood and it remains a way – through the power of words – to change the world.
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Don’t mistake politeness for lack of strength.
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The President Barack Obama had suggested that I not watch the news during the confirmation process. I assiduously followed his advice.
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If your child marches to a different beat, a different drummer, you might just have to go along with that music. Help them achieve what’s important to them.
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There are uses to adversity, and they don’t reveal themselves until tested. Whether it’s serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths.
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I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government.
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To me, lawyering is the height of service – and being involved in this profession is a gift.
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Although wisdom is built on life experiences, the mere accumulation of years guarantees nothing.
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I think that even someone who got into an institution through affirmative action could prove they were qualified by what they accomplished there.
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Diabetes taught me discipline.
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You know, failure hurts. Any kind of failure stings. If you live in the sting, you will – undoubtedly – fail. My way of getting past the sting is to say no, I’m just not going to let this get me down.
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Every lawyer, no matter whom they represent, is trying to help someone, whether it’s a person, a corporation, a government entity, or a small or big business. To me, lawyering is the height of service – and being involved in this profession is a gift.
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Success is its own reward, but failure is a great teacher too, and not to be feared.
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I have come to believe that in order to thrive, a child must have at least one adult in her life who shows her unconditional love, respect, and confidence.
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Until we reach equality in education, we can’t reach equality in the larger society.
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We educated, privileged lawyers have a professional and moral duty to represent the underrepresented in our society, to ensure that justice exists for all, both legal and economic justice.
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We have to look and ensure that we’re paying attention to what we’re doing, so that we don’t reflexively institute processes and procedures that exclude people without thought.
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A role model in the flesh provides more than inspiration; his or her very existence is confirmation of possibilities one may have every reason to doubt, saying, “Yes, someone like me can do this.”
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I don’t believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it.
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I’ve spent my whole life learning how to do things that were hard for me.
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I have never, ever focused on the negative of things. I always look at the positive.
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A surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence.
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The truth is that since childhood I had cultivated an existential independence. It came from perceiving the adults around me as unreliable, and without it I felt I wouldn’t have survived. I cared deeply for everyone in my family, but in the end I depended on myself.
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I realized that people had an unreal image of me, that somehow I was a god on Mount Olympus. I decided that if I were going to make use of my role as a Supreme Court Justice, it would be to inspire people to realize that, first, I was just like them and second, if I could do it, so could they.
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The challenges I have faced – among them material poverty, chronic illness, and being raised by a single mother – are not uncommon, but neither have they kept me from uncommon achievements.
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Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences…our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.
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