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Sandra Day O Connor Inspirational Quotes (69)

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I think we may be seeing the beginnings of a resurgence of civic-mindedness in this country. Hopefully the younger generations, which came out in record numbers during the last presidential election, will pass their enthusiasm on to their children.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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The proper role of the judiciary is one of interpreting and applying the law, not making it.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As a state court judge, it never would have occurred to me to do so, and when I got to the Supreme Court, it was very much the same. We just didn't do it.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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Half the states have stopped making civics and government a requirement for high school. Half.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials is necessary to a vibrant democracy.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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The whole idea of a public education was to train young people about how our system of government works, so they could be good citizens and be part of it. We're not doing that today.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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The abortion cases produced an enormous amount of mail to my chambers, vastly more than to the other chambers, I am sure. I sometimes thought there wasn't a woman in the United States who didn't write me a letter on one side or the other of that issue.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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For students, understanding the separate and unique functions of each branch of government can help them understand how different kinds of government officials can help solve different kinds of problems.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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The more education a woman has, the wider the gap between men's and women's earnings for the same work.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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We have a complex system of government. You have to teach it to every generation.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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I tried to decide each case based on the law and the Constitution.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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And I went off to Stanford, I was pretty young and pretty naive. And I had a professor I really loved, who was himself a lawyer.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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Parents should continue to become more involved with their communities, and more involved in their children's education.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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Suppose you had a cross burning in a play or a movie... Would that be intimidating?
Sandra Day O'Connor
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[Court] is an institution that depends on making tough decisions in close cases for reasons that it explains well and that, in the past at least, have proven satisfactory to the public.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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I care very much about women and their progress. I didn’t go march in the streets, but when I was in the Arizona Legislature, one of the things that I did was to examine every single statute in the state of Arizona to pick out the ones that discriminated against women and get them changed.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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(W)e do not count heads before enforcing the First Amendment.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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I like to think that the court will continue to be held in high regard by the public. I think it should be.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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[G]overnment endorsement . . . of religion . . . sends a message to nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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This chance will stand before you only once.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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You have to answer the question, like it or not. And the questions deserve a valid legal response, even if the response isn't one that will be easily understood. You have an obligation as a member of the court to do what you are bound to do under federal law, even if it isn't an attractive resolution from a public standpoint.
Sandra Day O'Connor
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