Home / Quotes / Quote by Sonia Sotomayor

Quote by Sonia Sotomayor

“I have ventured to write more intimately about my personal life than is customary for a member of the Supreme Court, and with that candor comes a measure of vulnerability.”

Quote by Sonia Sotomayor

Book:My Beloved World

Work

My Beloved World

In this personal narrative, Justice Sonia Sotomayor shares her experiences growing up in the Bronx, her struggles with illness, her education, and her journey to becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. more

Author

Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the first Hispanic woman to serve in this role. Born on June 25, 1954, she has a background that includes a challenging upbringing in the South Bronx, New York, which fueled her passion for law. Sotomayor graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School, and her career has been characterized by a strong commitment to public service and civil rights. She has served as a federal judge and has been a vocal advocate for equality and justice, leaving a lasting impact on a variety of legal issues. more

You May Also Like

“I honestly felt no envy or resentment, only astonishment at how much of a world there was out there and how much of it others already knew. The agenda for self-cultivation that had been set for my classmates by their teachers and parents was something I'd have to develop for myself.”

World Self Felt Parent Teacher Envy Honestly Agendas Resentment Cultivation Astonishment Classmates

Book:My Beloved World

Source: My Beloved World

“I listened very, very carefully to the world around me to pick up the signals of when trouble was coming. Not that I could stop it. But it made me observant. That was helpful when I became a lawyer, because I knew how to read people's signals.”

People World Made Trouble Picks Lawyer Helpful Signals Observant

Author:Sonia Sotomayor

“I was a keen observer and listener. I picked up on clues. I figured things out logically, and I enjoyed puzzles. I loved the clear, focused feeling that came when I concentrated on solving a problem and everything else faded out.”

Feelings Problem Clear Focused Enjoyed Listeners Puzzles Clue Observers Faded

Book:My Beloved World

Source: My Beloved World

“I wouldn't approach the issue of judging in the way the president does. Judges can't rely on what's in their heart. It's not the heart that compels conclusions in cases. It's the law.”

Way Heart Doe Jobs Law President Issues Judging Approach Congress Determine Rely

Author:Sonia Sotomayor

“I've never wanted to get adjusted to my income, because I knew I wanted to go back to public service. And in comparison to what my mother earns and how I was raised, it's not modest at all. I have no right to complain.”

Wanted Mother Raised Complaining Income Comparison Modest Public Service

Author:Sonia Sotomayor

“If the system is broken, my inclination is to fix it rather than to fight it. I have faith in the process of the law, and if it is carried out fairly, I can live with the results, whatever they may be.”

Ifs May I Can Law Fighting Process Results Broken Have Faith Inclination

Author:Sonia Sotomayor

“If you're poor, you don't often live near a good school. If it's a competitive public school program, our kids are not prepared to enter those programs.”

Ifs Kids School Poor Program Prepared Public School Good School

Author:Sonia Sotomayor

“If your child marches to a different beat, a different drummer, you might just have to go along with that music. Help them achieve what’s important to them.”

Ifs Children Important Different Helping Might Achieve Beats Your Children March Drummer What's Important

Author:Sonia Sotomayor

“In examining witnesses, I learned to ask general questions so as to elicit details with powerful sensory associations: the colors, the sounds, the smells that lodge an image in the mind and put the listener in the burning house.”

Mind Asks House Sound Powerful Color Details Smell Witness Burning Association Listeners Examining Sensory Lodges Burning House

Author:Sonia Sotomayor

“It is our responsibility to explain to the public how an often unpredictable system of justice is one that serves a productive, civilized, but always evolving, society.”

Justice Responsibility Evolve Productive Civilized Unpredictable

Author:Sonia Sotomayor