Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
There are no bystanders in life [...] Our humanity makes us each a part of something greater than ourselves.
Without question, so many people, throughout my life, never think of Puerto Rico as part of the United States.
All judges have cases that touch our passions deeply, but we all struggle constantly with remaining impartial.
I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government.
[On the desert:] The wind was a constant, and when you paid attention, it seemed like the earth's own breathing.
I am a very spiritual person. Maybe not traditionally religious in terms of Sunday Mass every week, that sort of thing.
I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it.
I have never had to face anything that could overwhelm the native optimism and stubborn perseverance I was blessed with.
My job as a prosecutor is to do justice. And justice is served when a guilty man is convicted and an innocent man is not.
Each time I see a split infinitive, an inconsistent tense structure or the unnecessary use of the passive voice, I blister.
When I call myself an affirmative action baby, I'm talking about the essence of what affirmative action was when it started.
I was fifteen years old when I understood how it is that things break down: people can't imagine someone else's point of view.
Sometimes it gets boring. No justice is supposed to say that. But, you know, there's drudgery in every job you're going to do.
I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences. Today is one of those experiences.
I think that the day a justice forgets that each decision comes at a cost to someone, then I think you start losing your humanity.
When you come from a background like mine, where you're entering worlds that are so different than your own, you have to be afraid.
I think being a Catholic made me a better person. It taught me how to choose good over evil, and how to be a more caring human being.
The first case I sat on... was Citizens United. Talk about being thrown in. Needless to say, if I was scared before, I was terrified.
I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge regardless of their background or life experiences.
I had many reasons for writing memoir but among them was the hope that every Latino child and adult would find something familiar in it.
Even though Article IV of the Constitution says that treaties are the 'supreme law of the land,' in most instances they're not even law.
To have a romance, you have to have time. I'm a justice. I've written a book. The guy's gonna have to wait until I'm a little bit freer.
Even though Article IV of the Constitution says that treaties are the 'supreme law of the land', in most instances they're not even law.
The President [Barack Obama] had suggested that I not watch the news during the confirmation process. I assiduously followed his advice.
I was aware that my nomination was drawing a lot of attention, particularly in the Latino world, not just in Puerto Rico. It was touching.
If I go home, get a gun, come back and shoot you, that may not be legal under New York law because you would have alternative ways to defend.
It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand.
I think it's important to move people beyond just dreaming into doing. They have to be able to see that you are just like them, and you made it.
I think that even someone who got into an institution through affirmative action could prove they were qualified by what they accomplished there.
Same way I have my entire life. Keep my family and friends close. My Latino friends close. I visit the island [Puerto Rico] as often as I humanly can.
If the issue is letting the states experiment and letting the society have more time to figure out its direction, why is taking a case now the answer?
I think there's a large segment of the mainland population that does not really understand the number of territories that are part of the United States.
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.
I stand on the shoulders of countless people, yet there is one extraordinary person who is my life aspiration. That person is my mother, Celina Sotomayor.
I have come to believe that in order to thrive, a child must have at least one adult in her life who shows her unconditional love, respect, and confidence.
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.
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.
This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.
There are cultural biases built into testing, and that was one of the motivations for the concept of affirmative action - to try to balance out those effects.
Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.
This wealth of experiences, personal and professional, have helped me appreciate the variety of perspectives that present themselves in every case that I hear.
Experience has taught me that you cannot value dreams according to the odds of their coming true. Their real value is in stirring within us the will to aspire.
Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences...our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.
I have had positive experiences with cameras. When I have been asked to join experiments using cameras in the courtroom, I have participated; I have volunteered.
I savor life. When you have anything that threatens life... it prods you into stepping back and really appreciating the value of life and taking from it what you can.
All I can say is that with business and the interest of any party before me, I will consider and apply the law as it is written by Congress and informed by precedent.
I would warn any minority student today against the temptations of self-segregation: take support and comfort from your own group as you can, but don’t hide within it.
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.
As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.
I found in my experiences that it's not that men are consciously discriminating against promoting women, but I do believe as people we have self-images about what's good.