RUTH BADER GINSBURG WISDOM AND MORE

[Barbara]

“The words of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause—’nor shall any state deny to any person the equal protection of the laws.’ Well that word, ‘any person,’ covers women as well as men. And the Supreme Court woke up to that reality in 1971.”

[Barbara]

“I spent no time fretting, and found a way to do what I thought important to get done.”

[Barbara]

“I always thought that there was nothing an antifeminist would want more than to have women only in women’s organizations, in their own little corner empathizing with each other and not touching a man’s world. If you’re going to change things, you have to be with the people who hold the levers.”

[Barbara]

“The greatest menace to freedom is an inert people; that public discussion is a political duty; and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American government.”

[Barbara]

“In the 70s, when I was at Columbia and writing briefs about distinctions based on sex, and writing articles and speeches, I had a secretary, and she said, ‘I’ve been typing this word sex, sex, sex, and let me tell you, the audience that you are addressing—the men that you are addressing’—and they were all men in the appellate courts in those days—’the first association of that word is not what you’re talking about. So I suggest that you use a grammar book term; use the word “gender.” It will ward off distracting associations.'” LOL 😀

[Barbara]

“In recent years, people have said, ‘This is the way I am.’ And others looked around, and we discovered it’s our next-door neighbor—we’re very fond of them, or it’s our child’s best friend, or even our child. I think that as more and more people came out and said that ‘this is who I am,’ the rest of us recognized that they are one of us.”

[Barbara]

“Some of my favorite opinions are dissenting opinions. I will not live to see what becomes of them, but I remain hopeful.”

[Barbara]

“I think back to the days when—I don’t know who it was—when I think Truman suggested the possibility of a woman as a justice. Someone said we have these conferences and men are talking to men and sometimes we loosen our ties, sometimes even take off our shoes.

The notion was that they would be inhibited from doing that if women were around. I don’t know how many times I’ve kicked off my shoes. Including the time some reporter said something like, it took me a long time to get up from the bench. They worried, was I frail? To be truthful I had kicked off my shoes, and I couldn’t find my right shoe; it traveled way underneath.”

LOL 😀💖🍀

[Barbara]

“For both men and women the first step in getting power is to become visible to others, and then to put on an impressive show…As women achieve power, the barriers will fall. As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.”

[Barbara]

“I do think that I was born under a very bright star. Because if you think about my life, I get out of law school. I have top grades. No law firm in the city of New York will hire me. I end up teaching; it gave me time to devote to the movement for evening out the rights of women and men. ”

[Barbara]

“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

[Barbara]

“It bothers me when people say to make it to the top of the tree you have to give up a family.”

[Barbara]

“I tell law students, if you’re going to be a lawyer & just practice your profession, you have a skill—very much like a plumber. But if you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself, something that makes life…better for people less fortunate…”

[Barbara]

I am a judge born, raised, and proud of being a Jew. The demand for justice runs through the entirety of the Jewish tradition. I hope, in my years on the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States, I will have the strength and the courage to remain constant in the service of that demand.

[Barbara]

We live in an age in which the fundamental principles to which we subscribe - liberty, equality and justice for all - are encountering extraordinary challenges, ... But it is also an age in which we can join hands with others who hold to those principles and face similar challenges.

[Barbara]

We should learn ... to do our best for the sake of our communities and for the sake of those for whom we pave the way.

[Barbara]

Whatever community organization, whether it's a women's organization, or fighting for racial justice ... you will get satisfaction out of doing something to give back to the community that you never get in any other way.

[Barbara]

If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.

[Barbara]

“So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.”

[Barbara]

We have the oldest written constitution still in force in the world, and it starts out with three words, 'We, the people.'

[Barbara]

“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.”

[Barbara]

“It bothers me when people say to make it to the top of the tree you have to give up a family.”

[Barbara]

“My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent. The study of law was unusual for women of my generation. For most girls growing up in the ’40s, the most important degree was not your B.A., but your M.R.S.”

[Barbara]

"All of the women in my generation have had, time and again, that experience where you say something at a meeting, and nobody makes anything of it. And maybe half an hour later, a man makes the identical point, and people react to it and say, ‘Good idea.’ That, I think, is a problem that persists.”

[Barbara]

“The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her wellbeing and dignity. It’s a decision she must make for herself.”

[Barbara]

“You go on to the next challenge and you give it your all. These important issues are not going to go away.”

[Barbara]

“My hope is that we will get back to the way it once was, that kind of collegiality, good relations, people who liked and respected each other even though they disagreed on some important questions.”

[Barbara]

“I am ever hopeful that if the court has a blind spot today, its eyes will be open tomorrow.”

[Barbara]

"Just as buildings in California have a greater need to be earthquake proofed, places where there is greater racial polarization in voting have a greater need for prophylactic measures to prevent purposeful race discrimination."

[Barbara]

"As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.”

[Barbara]

“My hope is that we will get back to the way it once was, that kind of collegiality, good relations, people who liked and respected each other even though they disagreed on some important questions.”

[Barbara]

"When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.”

[Barbara]

"Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true."

[Barbara]

“Just as buildings in California have a greater need to be earthquake proofed, places where there is greater racial polarization in voting have a greater need for prophylactic measures to prevent purposeful race discrimination.”

[Barbara]

“Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.”

[Barbara]

"People who think you could wave a magic wand and the legacy of the past will be over are blind."

[Barbara]

“I became a lawyer for selfish reasons. I thought I could do a lawyer’s job better than any other.”

[Barbara]

"We've come a long way from the days where there was state-enforced segregation. But we still have a way to go."

[Barbara]

“Just think how you would like the women in your family to be treated, particularly your daughters. And when you see men behaving in ways they should not, you should tell them this is improper behavior.”

[Barbara]

Just for a change, I'm posting a different (but excellent) quote.

“If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

[Barbara]

"Even today, when I read, I notice with pleasure when an author has chosen a particular word, a particular place, for the picture it will convey to the reader.”

[Barbara]

“For both men and women the first step in getting power is to become visible to others, and then to put on an impressive show…As women achieve power, the barriers will fall. As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.”

[Barbara]

"Each part of my life provided respite from the other and gave me a sense of proportion that classmates trained only on law studies lacked."

[Barbara]

"We should learn ... to do our best for the sake of our communities and for the sake of those for whom we pave the way."

[Barbara]

“I think our system is being polluted by money.”

[Barbara]

“I remember envying the boys long before I even knew the word feminism, because I liked shop better than cooking or sewing.”

[Barbara]

"Justices continue to think and can change. I am ever hopeful that if the court has a blind spot today, its eyes will be open tomorrow."

[Barbara]

“The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her well-being and dignity. It is a decision she must make for herself. When the government controls that decision for her, she is being treated as less than a full adult human responsible for her own choices.”

[Barbara]

“Suppose I had gotten a job as a permanent associate. Probably I would’ve climbed up the ladder and today I would be a retired partner. So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.”

[Barbara]

To new citizens at a naturalization ceremony
"We are a nation made strong by people like you."