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You Can't Spell Truth Without Ruth: An Unauthorized Collection of Witty & Wise Quotes from the Queen of Supreme, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Speaking the Ruth to America
Ruth Bader Ginsburg became a Supreme Court Justice in 1993, but her popularity has exploded over the last couple of years as she has been adopted as a modern feminist icon. An octogenarian who has proven that disagreeing does not make one disagreeable, Ginsburg is well-known for her pithy observations as well as her strongly argued dissents. Beloved by many - including her ideological opposition, former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was her dear friend - Ginsburg's wisdom has never been more relevant or more important to American democracy.
Sample quotes:
"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made...it shouldn't be that women are the exception."
"Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."
"People ask me sometimes...When will there be enough women on the Court? And I say, 'When there are nine.' People are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that."
"My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady and the other was to be independent. For most girls growing up in the '40s, the most important degree was not your B.A. but your M.R.S."
"We have the oldest written constitution still in force in the world, and it starts out with three words, 'We, the people.'"
Ruth Bader Ginsburg became a Supreme Court Justice in 1993, but her popularity has exploded over the last couple of years as she has been adopted as a modern feminist icon. An octogenarian who has proven that disagreeing does not make one disagreeable, Ginsburg is well-known for her pithy observations as well as her strongly argued dissents. Beloved by many - including her ideological opposition, former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was her dear friend - Ginsburg's wisdom has never been more relevant or more important to American democracy.
Sample quotes:
"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made...it shouldn't be that women are the exception."
"Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."
"People ask me sometimes...When will there be enough women on the Court? And I say, 'When there are nine.' People are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that."
"My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady and the other was to be independent. For most girls growing up in the '40s, the most important degree was not your B.A. but your M.R.S."
"We have the oldest written constitution still in force in the world, and it starts out with three words, 'We, the people.'"
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2018
28 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 6, 2019
So much wisdom here, but my favourite must be : “ I probably read more fiction because I deal every day with so much nonfiction”.
Be still my librarian heart. What a woman!
Be still my librarian heart. What a woman!
September 5, 2018
Absolutely wonderful, witty, pocket size, quote book. Cute as can be and would make a terrific (and inspiring) gift for yourself, friends and family. One of my favorite quote books of the year!
March 7, 2019
A quote a page in varying sizes and one font. A quick read and a quick way to get to know Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She sounds too good to be true, like a superhero. She definitely comes across as a crusader for equal rights and for the "little guy". My favorite quote of hers is, "Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation." It is an inequality I have heard about from many overwhelmed women who get little if any help raising their kids from their own significant other.
I highly recommend this book. I watched the documentary RBG and was surprised how much I enjoyed it, how much I liked Ginsburg and came away being in awe of her. She's like a superhero only she doesn't have a cape and she's only about five feet tall, cute and sharp as a tack. She's been referred to fondly as the Notorious RBG after rapper the Notorious BIG and she really should be notorious but I don't think many really know about her to any real degree. Schools should introduce her to students somewhere, her documentary and a class period or two in high school at least. Women need to know what she's done to help them get where they are. I had no idea.
So, good book, read it, watch RBG and you too will be thinking of her as the Notorious RBG.
As a footnote of sorts, 3 weeks later, I just read Notorious RBG and after reading that book and watching the documentary RBG this book just isn't enough to do Bader Ginsburg justice and takes third place in being the best source of info on her.
I highly recommend this book. I watched the documentary RBG and was surprised how much I enjoyed it, how much I liked Ginsburg and came away being in awe of her. She's like a superhero only she doesn't have a cape and she's only about five feet tall, cute and sharp as a tack. She's been referred to fondly as the Notorious RBG after rapper the Notorious BIG and she really should be notorious but I don't think many really know about her to any real degree. Schools should introduce her to students somewhere, her documentary and a class period or two in high school at least. Women need to know what she's done to help them get where they are. I had no idea.
So, good book, read it, watch RBG and you too will be thinking of her as the Notorious RBG.
As a footnote of sorts, 3 weeks later, I just read Notorious RBG and after reading that book and watching the documentary RBG this book just isn't enough to do Bader Ginsburg justice and takes third place in being the best source of info on her.
February 7, 2019
Great, colorful little book of RBG quotes. What's not to love?!
December 30, 2020
A nice quick read. Many memorable quotes. A few surprises.
A quote from Equal Justice Works event, October 27, 2017 -“In those days, I had one fictional hero - Nancy Drew- and one real one, that was Amelia Earhart”.
Nice to know a Supreme Court Justice was influenced by Nancy Drew and that my youthful reading was not a waste.
A quote from Equal Justice Works event, October 27, 2017 -“In those days, I had one fictional hero - Nancy Drew- and one real one, that was Amelia Earhart”.
Nice to know a Supreme Court Justice was influenced by Nancy Drew and that my youthful reading was not a waste.
July 15, 2025
"DO SOMETHING OUTSIDE YOURSELF—something to repair tears in your community, something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you. That’s what I think a meaningful life is. Stanford Rathbun Lecture, February 6, 2017"
"THE COURT, I FEAR, HAS VENTURED INTO A MINEFIELD. Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Dissent, June 30, 2014"
This book includes nuggets from interviews, speeches, and opinions that RBG wrote or said. It would have been nice to have a short description of some of the quotes. For example, with Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the corporation (as a person) denied contraception as a covered medication on the employee's health plan based on the corporation's religion. The court found that the Affordable Care Act burdened the corporation's (person) ability to exercise it's religious rights. Something like these two sentences would add so much to the book.
Zaia, Mary. You Can't Spell Truth Without Ruth (p. 60 & 118). St. Martin's Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
"THE COURT, I FEAR, HAS VENTURED INTO A MINEFIELD. Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Dissent, June 30, 2014"
This book includes nuggets from interviews, speeches, and opinions that RBG wrote or said. It would have been nice to have a short description of some of the quotes. For example, with Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the corporation (as a person) denied contraception as a covered medication on the employee's health plan based on the corporation's religion. The court found that the Affordable Care Act burdened the corporation's (person) ability to exercise it's religious rights. Something like these two sentences would add so much to the book.
Zaia, Mary. You Can't Spell Truth Without Ruth (p. 60 & 118). St. Martin's Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
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June 16, 2019Not giving a rating on this, because it seems silly to either give 5 stars to someone who just compiled a bunch of someone else's quotes, or to give anything less than 5 stars to a book comprised of the words of the Notorious RBG.
Anyway, I love her, and I very much enjoyed reading quotes from her speeches, interviews, dissents, etc.
This was me picking a super short book with "You" in the title to add to my #Buzzwordathon stats ;) But it was indeed a book I owned, so I'm happy to have read it!
Favorite quote: "When I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court]? And I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that." (Tenth Circuit Bench & Bar Conference, Oct. 2012)
Anyway, I love her, and I very much enjoyed reading quotes from her speeches, interviews, dissents, etc.
This was me picking a super short book with "You" in the title to add to my #Buzzwordathon stats ;) But it was indeed a book I owned, so I'm happy to have read it!
Favorite quote: "When I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court]? And I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that." (Tenth Circuit Bench & Bar Conference, Oct. 2012)
March 7, 2019
Brilliant and poignant gal making a difference in the lives of many, one by one and case by case!
This was a fine little book of quotes and while SHE was awesome, do NOT buy it on kindle! Text only, dry and boring as hell. I ran across the book while in a bookstore and it was cute, colorful, quote style and would’ve been more enjoyable! Love me some #RBG though!
This was a fine little book of quotes and while SHE was awesome, do NOT buy it on kindle! Text only, dry and boring as hell. I ran across the book while in a bookstore and it was cute, colorful, quote style and would’ve been more enjoyable! Love me some #RBG though!
April 3, 2019
While I would give the vast majority of RBG's quotes 5 stars individually, pulling them into a collection of short quotes begins to turn them into sound bites, lowering the value to just talking points. If it had also given the reader the full transcripts of the grander speeches and engagements, it would have provided the gravitas that RBG engenders.
March 1, 2021
This is a book for Ruth *enthusiasts!* I read this book of quotes immediately after watching a documentary on RBG - so I was aware of a lot of the cases these quotes came from but the book doesn't offer any context for the quotes besides the case. If you are familiar with the context of random quotes, read the book. Otherwise, some of the quotes land without the impact they originally had.
February 23, 2019
So much fun! So much wisdom!
April 22, 2019
Great quotes for thought tho I would have appreciated just a bit of background on especially those concerning her dissents.
May 29, 2019
Inspiring and thought provoking.
July 2, 2019
Very fun - but just a lot of quotes from RBG - not much content. However, some of her quotes are classic and I hope I remember them!
December 20, 2019
Short and sweet, RBG is amazing and I will never get tired of reading her quotes.
November 12, 2020
Love this little book of quotes some I knew some I didn't. Miss RBG every day wish she could have gone on forever with her wisdom and wit.
December 1, 2020
A good little motivational pocket book. Started it earlier in the summer and had to take a break after her passing. It was comforting to go back to post-election. Could have used better editing.
June 9, 2021
A book of remarkable quotes from a remarkable woman.
December 30, 2021
Fun, easy read
October 3, 2022
A fun and inspiring read. 150 RBG quotes! My favorite quotes were on pages 16, 36 and 39. I think I will keep this book handy to pick up and read a quote whenever the mood strikes me.
February 7, 2025
Inspiring
October 23, 2025
Great, quick quotes from an amazing person. She is missed.
Read
May 8, 2018cute. short.
September 29, 2018
Picked up this pocket-sized treat - a collection of RBG quotations from speeches, interviews, and dissents - at the library today to cheer myself up after this week’s news cycle.
My favorite:
“The richness of the diversity of this country is a treasure, and it is a constant challenge, too, a challenge to remain tolerant and respectful of one another.”
Max’s favorite:
“My children decided at an early age that mother’s sense of humor needed improvement. They tried to supply that improvement, and kept a book to record their successes. The book was called ‘Mommy Laughed.’”
My favorite:
“The richness of the diversity of this country is a treasure, and it is a constant challenge, too, a challenge to remain tolerant and respectful of one another.”
Max’s favorite:
“My children decided at an early age that mother’s sense of humor needed improvement. They tried to supply that improvement, and kept a book to record their successes. The book was called ‘Mommy Laughed.’”
December 1, 2018
“Time is on the side of change.” (Interview with the New York Times, July 7, 2009)
“If I lose today, there’s hope that tomorrow will be better.” (Symposium at Columbia Law School, February 10, 2012)
“Never write a sentence that has to be read again to be understood.” (Symposium at Columbia Law School, February 10, 2012)
“If I lose today, there’s hope that tomorrow will be better.” (Symposium at Columbia Law School, February 10, 2012)
“Never write a sentence that has to be read again to be understood.” (Symposium at Columbia Law School, February 10, 2012)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews