Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes

Most states in the union where the death penalty is theoretically on the books don't have executions.

If you're going to change things, you have to be w... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

If you're going to change things, you have to be with the people who hold the levers.

'Whole Women's Health' made it very clear that poo... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

'Whole Women's Health' made it very clear that poor women were no longer going to be left out.

I do hope that some of my dissents will one day be... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I do hope that some of my dissents will one day be the law.

Discovering the context

The quote expresses a hope or desire that the speaker's opposing opinions or dissents will eventually become established as legal principles or precedents.

The state controlling a woman would mean denying h... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full autonomy and full equality.

Discovering the context

This quote critiques the idea of the state exerting control over women, arguing that such control hinders women's autonomy and equality. It implies that granting women full autonomy is essential for realizing their equality. It reflects on the relationship between state power and women's rights.

I think we understand that for the Court to work well, we have to not only respect but genuinely like each other.

I certainly respect the belief of the Hobby Lobby owners. On the other hand, they have no constitutional right to foist that belief on the hundreds and hundreds of women who work for them who don't share that belief.

If you just needed the skills to pass the bar, two years would be enough. But if you think of law as a learned profession, then a third year is an opportunity for, on the one hand, public service and practice experience, but on the other, also to take courses that round out the law that you didn't have time to do.

So that's the dissenter's hope: that they are writ... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

So that's the dissenter's hope: that they are writing not for today but for tomorrow.

Discovering the context

The quote emphasizes the dissenter's aspiration to write or express themselves in a way that has a lasting impact, aiming to shape the future rather than merely addressing present circumstances.

It is not women's liberation, it is women's and me... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It is not women's liberation, it is women's and men's liberation.

It is not like I have gone crazy, I just don't want to take any chances. You never know what could happen.

The concern was that if a woman was doing gender equality, her chances of making it to tenure in the law school were diminished. It was considered frivolous.

I was the first tenured woman at Columbia. That was 1972; every law school was looking for its woman. Why? Because Stan Pottinger, who was then head of the office for civil rights of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, was enforcing the Nixon government contract program.

In the '50s, too many women, even though they were very smart, they tried to make the man feel that he was brainier. It was a sad thing.

America is known as a country that welcomes people to its shores. All kinds of people. The image of the Statue of Liberty with Emma Lazarus' famous poem. She lifts her lamp and welcomes people to the golden shore, where they will not experience prejudice because of the color of their skin, the religious faith that they follow.

At Columbia Law School, my professor of constitutional law and federal courts, Gerald Gunther, was determined to place me in a federal court clerkship, despite what was then viewed as a grave impediment: On graduation, I was the mother of a 4-year-old child.

Whatever final judgment awaits 'Bush v. Gore' in the annals of history, I am certain that the good work and good faith of the U.S. federal judiciary as a whole will continue to sustain public confidence at a level never beyond repair.

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.

I think Mozart's operas 'The Marriage of Figaro' and 'Don Giovanni' are the two most perfect ever written. The music is magical.

Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance on... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one's ability to persuade.

It's a facet of the gay rights movement that people don't think about enough. Why suddenly marriage equality? Because it wasn't until 1981 that the court struck down Louisiana's 'head and master rule,' that the husband was head and master of the house.

My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that ... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.

I said on the equality side of it, that it is essential to a woman's equality with man that she be the decision-maker, that her choice be controlling.

I'm a very strong believer in listening and learni... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I'm a very strong believer in listening and learning from others.

She never envisioned a legal career for me, but she did think it was very important that I be able to support myself, and I think she would be pleased to see what has become of me.

In the course of a marriage, one accommodates the ... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

In the course of a marriage, one accommodates the other.

Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.

My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady and the other was to be independent, and the law was something most unusual for those times because for most girls growing up in the '40s, the most important degree was not your B.A. but your M.R.S.

A gender line... helps to keep women not on a pede... -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

A gender line... helps to keep women not on a pedestal, but in a cage.

You can't have it all, all at once. Who - man or woman - has it all, all at once? Over my lifespan, I think I have had it all. But in different periods of time, things were rough. And if you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it.

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