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Top Sonia Sotomayor Quotes

Browse top 43 most favorite famous quotes and sayings by Sonia Sotomayor.

Favorite Sonia Sotomayor Quotes

1. ". . . But experience has taught me that you cannot value dreams according to the odds of their coming true. Their real value is instirring within us the will to aspire. That will, wherever it finally leads, does at least move you forward. And after a time you may recognize That the proper measure of success is not how much you've closed the distance to some far-off goal but the quality of what you've done today." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
2. "One thing has not changed: to doubt the worth of minority students' achievement when they succeed is really only to present another face of the prejudice that would deny them a chance to even try. It is the same prejudice that insists all those destined for success must be cast from the same mold as those who have succeeded before them, a view that experience has already proven a fallacy." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
3. "Although wisdom is built on life experiences, the mere accumulation of years guarantees nothing." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
4. "Quiet pragmatism, of course, lacks the romance of vocal militancy. But I felt myself more a mediator than a crusader. My strengths were reasoning, crafting compromises, finding the good and the good faith on both sides of an argument, and using that to build a bridge. Always, my first question was, what's the goal? And then, who must be persuaded if it is to be accomplished? A respectful dialogue with one's opponent almost invariably goes further than a harangue outside his or her window. If you want to change someone's mind, you must understand what need shapes his or her opinion. To prevail, you must first listen." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
5. "I war running back to the house in Mayaguez with a melting ice cone we called a piraqua running sweet and sticky down my face and arms, the sun in my eyes, breaking through clouds and glinting off the rain-soaked pavement and dripping leaves. I was running with joy, an overwhelming joy that arose simply from gratitude for the fact of being alive. Along with the image, memory carried these words from a child's mind through time: I am blessed. In this life I am truly blessed." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
6. "I think that even someone who got into an institution through affirmative action could prove they were qualified by what they accomplished there. Page 188" ~ Sonia Sotomayor
7. "I felt like everyones second choice, which is why a compliment could catch me off guard. Page 106" ~ Sonia Sotomayor
8. "If you held to principle so passionately, so inflexibly, indifferent in the particulars of circumstance - the full range of what human beings, with all their flaws and foibles, might endure or create - if you enthroned principle above even reason, weren't you then abdicating the responsibilities of a thinking person?" ~ Sonia Sotomayor
9. "When a young person, even a gifted one, grows up without proximate living examples of what she may aspire to become--whether lawyer, scientist, artist, or leader in any realm--her goal remains abstract. Such models as appear in books or on the news, however inspiring or revered, are ultimately too remote to be real, let alone influential. But 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." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
10. "Dressing badly has been a refuge much of my life, a way of compelling others to engage with my mind, not my physical presence. Page. 283" ~ Sonia Sotomayor
11. "I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any racial, ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge, regardless of their background or life experiences." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
12. "I do know one thing about me: I don't measure myself by others' expectations or let others define my worth." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
13. "I have never had to face anything that could overwhelm the native optimism and stubborn perseverance I was blessed with." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
14. "With my academic achievement in high school I was accepted rather readily at Princeton and equally as fast at Yale, but my test scores were not comparable to that of my classmates. And that's been shown by statistics, there are reasons for that - there are cultural biases built into testing, and that was one of the motivations for the concept of affirmative action to try to balance out those effects." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
15. "My diabetes is such a central part of my life... it did teach me discipline... it also taught me about moderation... I've trained myself to be super-vigilant... because I feel better when I am in control." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
16. "This wealth of experiences, personal and professional, have helped me appreciate the variety of perspectives that present themselves in every case that I hear." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
17. "The Parkchester Library was my haven. To thumb through the card catalog was to touch an infinite bounty, more books than I could ever possibly exhaust." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
18. "Her rocking chair of carved wood and woven cane tilted between this world and another that was beyond imagining, wafting scents of talcum and medicinal tea, auras of lace-edged santos whose eyes rolled up to a heaven too close for comfort." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
19. "Don't mistake politeness for lack of strength." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
20. "The bride Celina and her groom Omar, with Junior, now Dr. Sotomayor. As my first official act," ~ Sonia Sotomayor
21. "Every people has a past, but the dignity of a history comes when a community of scholars devotes itself to chronicling and studying that past." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
22. "You've got to get your education! It's the only way to get ahead in the world." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
23. "I will be judged as a human being by what readers find here. There are hazards to openness, but they seem minor compared with the possibility that some readers may find comfort, perhaps even inspiration, from a close examination of how an ordinary person, with strengths and weaknesses like anyone else, has managed an extraordinary journey." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
24. "Neither is a memoir the same as a biography, which aims for the most objective, factual account of a life. A memoir, as I understand it, makes no pretense of denying its subjectivity. Its matter is one person's memory, and memory by nature is selective and colored by emotion. Others who participated in the events I describe will no doubt remember some details differently, though I hope we would agree on the essential truths. I have taken no liberties with the past as I remember it, used no fictional devices beyond reconstructing conversations from memory. I have not blended characters, or bent chronology to convenience. And yet I have tried to tell a good story." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
25. "Without acknowledgment and communication, forgiveness was beyond reach." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
26. "The dynamism of any diverse community depends not only on the diversity itself but on promoting a sense of belonging among those who formerly would have been considered and felt themselves outsiders." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
27. "...you cannot value dreams according to the odds of their coming true. The real value is in stirring within us the will to aspire." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
28. "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." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
29. "We apply law to facts. We don't apply feelings to facts." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
30. "Until we get equality in education, we won't have an equal society." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
31. "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
32. "I stand on the shoulders of countless people, yet there is one extraordinary person who is my life aspiration. That person is my mother, Celina Sotomayor." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
33. "I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
34. "I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
35. "The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
36. "I firmly believe in the rule of law as the foundation for all of our basic rights." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
37. "I was raised in a Bronx public housing project, but studied at two of the nation's finest universities. I did work as an assistant district attorney, prosecuting violent crimes that devastate our communities." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
38. "All judges have cases that touch our passions deeply, but we all struggle constantly with remaining impartial." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
39. "Diabetes taught me discipline." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
40. "I am a New Yorker, and 7:00 A.M. is a civilized hour to finish the day, not to start it." ~ Sonia Sotomayor
41. "... a surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence. Page 115" ~ Sonia Sotomayor
42. "Many of the gaps in my knowledge and understanding were simply limits of class and cultural background, not lack of aptitude or application as I feared. Page 135" ~ Sonia Sotomayor
43. "I've known how to control my anger, but that doesn't mean I don't feel it. Page 190" ~ Sonia Sotomayor

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Today's Quote

Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement."
Author: C. S. Lewis

What Did Sonia Sotomayor Talk About?

Wit
Per
Con
Tan
Son
Thin
Cat
Lit
Act
Hen
May
Here
Self
End
Ten
Thou
Reason
Less
Unity
Sin
Tie
Off
Law
Ally
Ear
Doubt
Lack
Sing
Each
Taught
Tea
Community
Los
Close
Beyond
Understand
Bee
Use
She
Equal
Ring
King
Judge
Lie
Hum
Hey
Lose
Goal
Mind
Felt

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