“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.” IfsThinkingMenNeedsPersonsDifferentHelpingPeriodsCaringPartnersRoughLife Partner Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Feminism … I think the simplest explanation, and one that captures the idea, is a song that Marlo Thomas sang, 'Free to be You and Me.' Free to be, if you were a girl—doctor, lawyer, Indian chief. Anything you want to be. And if you’re a boy, and you like teaching, you like nursing, you would like to have a doll, that’s OK too. That notion that we should each be free to develop our own talents, whatever they may be, and not be held back by artificial barriers—manmade barriers, certainly not heaven sent.” IfsThinkingWantShouldMayIdeasSongGirlHeavenBoysFeminismTeachingTalentDoctorsNotionLawyerChiefsIndianExplanationBarriersCaptureBe YouArtificialSimplestNursingDollsHeaven SentIndian Chief Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“If there was one decision I would overrule, it would be Citizens United. I think the notion that we have all the democracy that money can buy strays so far from what our democracy is supposed to be.” IfsThinkingWould BeDecisionUnitedDemocracyCitizensNotionSupposed To BeCitizens United Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“If I resign any time this year, he [President Obama] could not successfully appoint anyone I would like to see in the court. ... [A]nybody who thinks that if I step down, Obama could appoint someone like me, they're misguided.” IfsThinkingYearsLawPoliticsPresidentStepsCourtLike MePresident ObamaMisguided Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“If you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it. I had a life partner who thought my work was as important as his, and I think that made all the difference for me.” IfsThinkingNeedsPersonsMadeImportantHelpingDifferencesCaringPartnersLife Partner Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“One might plausibly contend that Congress violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers when it exonerates itself from the impositions of the laws it obligates people outside the legislature to obey.” PeopleIfsMightLawPoliticalSpiritPoliticsLettersCongressSeparationDoctrineLegislatureImpositionSeparation Of Powers Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.” IfsNationsSecurityGave UpGreat Nations Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Even the Declaration of Independence starts out all men are created equal, so I see my advocacy as part of an effort to make the equality principle everything the founders would have wanted it to be if they weren't held back by the society in which they lived and particularly the shame of slavery.” IfsMenWantedEffortPrinciplesEqualShameIndependenceSlaveryFoundersDeclarationDeclaration Of IndependenceAdvocacy Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“People who have been hardworking, tax paying, those people ought to be given an opportunity to be on a track that leads towards citizenship and if that happened, then they wouldn't be prey to the employers who say we want you because we know that you work for a salary we could not lawfully pay anyone else.” PeopleIfsKnowsWantHas BeensOpportunityGivenPayHappenedOughtTaxesTrackCitizenshipPreyEmployersSalaryHardworking Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“In my view, if the Court had properly interpreted the Second Amendment, the Court would have said that Amendment was very important when the nation was new, it gave a qualified right to keep and bear arms but it was for one purpose only, and that was the purpose of having militiamen who were able to fight to preserve the nation.” IfsSaidImportantAblePurposeFightingNationsViewsArmsBearsCourtPreservesAmendmentsQualifiedSecond Amendment Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“If you ask judges, do you always agree on everything? Of course not, we divide just as you do. Why aren't you transparent about it? Because the people would begin to think that the law is not stable, the law is unclear. And that would not give them much faith in the law.” PeopleIfsThinkingGivingLawCoursesAsksJudgingAgreeDividesStableTransparentUnclear Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Congress could always stop the President if Congress thinks that what the President has done exceeds the President's authority or is just wrong for the United States.” IfsThinkingStatesDonePresidentUnitedUnited StatesAuthorityCongressExceed Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I would not look to the United States Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012.” IfsYearsLooksStatesUnitedUnited StatesConstitutionUs ConstitutionDrafting Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“The impact of all these restrictions is on poor women, because women who have means, if their state doesn't provide access, another state does. ... It makes no sense as a national policy to promote birth only among poor people.” PeopleIfsMeanDoeStatesPoorPolicyBirthImpactAccessPoor PeopleRestrictionEugenics Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“If I had any talent God could give me, I would be a great diva.” IfsGivingWould BeInspiringFeminismTalentGive Me Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“You would have a huge statelessness problem if you don't consider a child born abroad a U.S. citizen.” IfsChildrenProblemBornHugeCitizens Author:Ruth Bader Ginsburg
