Sandra Day O'Connor Quotes

A collection of quotes by Sandra Day O'Connor.

Sandra Day O'Connor is a renowned American jurist and the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. She was born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas. Growing up on a cattle ranch, she developed a strong work ethic and a love for the outdoors.

O'Connor attended Stanford University, where she excelled academically and graduated with honors in 1950 with a degree in economics. Despite facing gender discrimination, she persevered and went on to attend Stanford Law School, graduating in 1952.

After practicing law for several years and serving as an assistant Attorney General of Arizona, O'Connor ventured into politics. In 1975, she became the first woman to be appointed to the Arizona State Senate and later served as the state's first female Majority Leader.

In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor reached a historic milestone when she was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court. Her nomination was confirmed by the Senate, and she took her seat on September 25, 1981.

During her tenure on the bench, O'Connor became known as a centrist, often casting the decisive vote in key cases. She played a pivotal role in shaping the Court's decisions on important issues like abortion, affirmative action, and campaign finance. O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006, leaving a lasting legacy as a trailblazer for women in the legal profession.

It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious lib

It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful schoolchildren.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Statutes authorizing unreasonable searches were the core con

Statutes authorizing unreasonable searches were the core concern of the framers of the 4th Amendment.

Sandra Day O'Connor

My hope is that 10 years from now, after I've been across th

My hope is that 10 years from now, after I've been across the street at work for a while, they'll all be glad they gave me that wonderful vote.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make

Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person.

Sandra Day O'Connor

You have citizens who don't understand how government works

You have citizens who don't understand how government works and they're kind of soured on it. All they do is criticize. They have no idea that they can make things happen.

Sandra Day O'Connor

We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to t

We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to the values, principles, and education they need to make them good citizens.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in w

Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Each of us brings to our job, whatever it is, our lifetime o

Each of us brings to our job, whatever it is, our lifetime of experience and our values.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Parents should continue to become more involved with their c

Parents should continue to become more involved with their communities, and more involved in their children's education.

Sandra Day O'Connor

A state of war is not a blank check... when it comes to the

A state of war is not a blank check... when it comes to the rights of the Nation's citizens.

Sandra Day O'Connor

It matters enormously to a successful democratic society lik

It matters enormously to a successful democratic society like ours that we have three branches of government, each with some independence and some control over the other two. That's set out in the Constitution.

Sandra Day O'Connor

The framers of the Constitution were so clear in the federal

The framers of the Constitution were so clear in the federalist papers and elsewhere that they felt an independent judiciary was critical to the success of the nation.

Sandra Day O'Connor

It is a measure of the framers' fear that a passing majority

It is a measure of the framers' fear that a passing majority might find it expedient to compromise 4th Amendment values that these values were embodied in the Constitution itself.

Sandra Day O'Connor

The power I exert on the court depends on the power of my ar

The power I exert on the court depends on the power of my arguments, not on my gender.

Sandra Day O'Connor

The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials i

The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials is necessary to a vibrant democracy. The problem comes when healthy criticism is replaced with more destructive intimidation and sanctions.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Yes, I will bring the understanding of a woman to the Court,

Yes, I will bring the understanding of a woman to the Court, but I doubt that alone will affect my decisions.

Sandra Day O'Connor

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and what

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads form one to another that creates something.

Sandra Day O'Connor

The more education a woman has, the wider the gap between me

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

If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have

If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.

Richard Feynman

If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have

If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.

Richard Feynman