In every position that I’ve been in, there have been naysayers who don’t believe I’m qualified or who don’t believe I can do the work. And I feel a special responsibility to prove them wrong.
SONIA SOTOMAYORThe President Barack Obama had suggested that I not watch the news during the confirmation process. I assiduously followed his advice.
More Sonia Sotomayor Quotes
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Although wisdom is built on life experiences, the mere accumulation of years guarantees nothing.
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I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge regardless of their background or life experiences.
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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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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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We apply law to facts. We don’t apply feelings to facts.
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I savor life. When you have anything that threatens life it prods you into stepping back and really appreciating the value of life and taking from it what you can.
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Don’t be shy about making a teacher of any willing party who knows what he or she is doing.
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If I write a book where all I’ve ever experienced is success, people won’t take a positive lesson from it. In being candid, I have to own up to my own failures, both in my marriage and in my work environment.
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I was a keen observer and listener. I picked up on clues. I figured things out logically, and I enjoyed puzzles. I loved the clear, focused feeling that came when I concentrated on solving a problem and everything else faded out.
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Remember that no one succeeds alone. Never walk alone in your future paths.
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Although I grew up in very modest and challenging circumstances, I consider my life to be immeasurably rich.
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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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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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As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.
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If you’re poor, you don’t often live near a good school. If it’s a competitive public school program, our kids are not prepared to enter those programs.
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