50 Powerful Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes on Equality, Feminism, and Justice
Last updated on December 28th, 2023 at 12:42 pm
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg“, by Carsten Smithby, licensed under CC BY 2.0
Welcome to an inspiring collection of Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes that will make you feel empowered and motivated. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a trailblazing jurist, a feminist icon, and a cultural icon whose legacy continues to inspire generations. As an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Ginsburg spent her career advocating for gender equality, civil rights, and social justice. In this article, we have compiled 50 powerful Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes that reflect her vision, passion, and unwavering commitment to justice. These quotes are organized into four categories: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Famous Quotes, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes Feminism, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes on Equality. So, grab a cup of coffee and get ready to be inspired by the words of this remarkable woman.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quote
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a trailblazer and an icon for justice and equality. Her words continue to inspire and motivate people today.
“I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (American Bar Association speech, 2004)
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with CBS News, 2009)
“Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I think gender discrimination is bad for everyone, it’s bad for men, it’s bad for children. Having the opportunity to be part of that change is tremendously satisfying.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Dissent speaks to a future age. It’s not simply to say, ‘my colleagues are wrong and I would do it this way.’ But the greatest dissents do become court opinions and gradually over time their views become the dominant view.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I’m a very strong believer in listening and learning from others.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with The Wall Street Journal, 2018)
“Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (My Own Words book, 2016)
RUTH BADER GINSBURG
SOURCE: (Interview with Makers, 2015)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Famous Quotes
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words of wisdom have made her an icon for generations.
“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Fight for things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with Makers, 2015)
“A gender line… helps to keep women not on a pedestal, but in a cage.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with the Associated Press, 2001)
“I think the hardest part of writing is revising. And by that I mean the following: A novelist has to create the piece of marble and then chip away to find the figure in it.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“We have the oldest written constitution still in force in the world, and it starts out with three words: ‘We, the people.'”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Don’t be distracted by emotions like anger, envy, resentment. These just zap energy and waste time.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with 10th Circuit Bench & Bar Conference, 2012)
“The emphasis must be not on the right to abortion but on the right to privacy and reproductive control.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with The Washington Post, 2006)
“The greatest menace to freedom is an inert people; that public discussion is a political duty; and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American government.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE:(Confirmation hearing, 1981)
“I’m a very good listener. And I’m always willing to hear another side. That doesn’t mean I will agree with it. But I’ll listen.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I’m dejected, but only momentarily, when I can’t get the fifth vote for something I think is very important. But then you go on to the next challenge and you give it your all.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“You can’t have it all, all at once. Over my lifespan, I think I have had it all. But in different periods of time, things were rough.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
RUTH BADER GINSBURG
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes Feminism
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a fierce advocate for gender equality, and her words on feminism continue to inspire people around the world.
“Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with the New York Times, 1997)
“In every good marriage, it helps sometimes to be a little deaf.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Feminism “is the” notion that we should each be free to develop our own talents and not be held back by man-made barriers.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I became a lawyer for selfish reasons. I thought I could do a lawyer’s job better than any other.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full autonomy and full equality.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“The pedestal upon which women have been placed has all too often, upon closer inspection, been revealed as a cage.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“The gender line helps to keep women not on a pedestal, but in a cage.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I think unconscious bias is one of the hardest things to get at. My favorite example is the symphony orchestra. It used to be all men.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I said on the equality side of it, that it is essential to a woman’s equality with man that she be the decision-maker, that her choice be controlling.”
Bader Ginsburg
“If you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself, something to repair tears in your community, something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“The greatest dissents do become court opinions and gradually over time their views become the dominant view.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“We have the oldest written constitution still in force in the world, and it starts out with three words, ‘We, the people.’… [But] we were not ‘we, the people’ who originally constituted the nation. Women didn’t count.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
SOURCE: (in an interview with NPR in 2019.)
“Women’s rights are an essential part of the overall human rights agenda, trained on the equal dignity and ability to live in freedom all people should enjoy.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (in an address to the American Bar Association in 2017.)
RUTH BADER GINSBURG
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes On Equality
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s commitment to equality is clear in her many quotes on the topic.
“To make life a little better for people less fortunate than you, that’s what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for oneself but for one’s community.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“The notion that we have all the democracy is what I find truly scary.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I just try to do the good job that I have to the best of my ability and I really don’t think about whether I’m inspirational. I just do the best I can.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with USA Today, 2009)
“I think gender discrimination is bad for everyone, it’s bad for men, it’s bad for women, it’s bad for children.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (Interview with The Washington Post, 2009)
“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.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I think that the country will wake up and see that it’s in their best interest to ensure that everyone in this country has a fair shake and a fair chance.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a woman’s life, to her well-being and dignity. It is a decision she must make for herself. When the government controls that decision for her, she is being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SOURCE: (1992 Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey)
“Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
RUTH BADER GINSBURG
SOURCE: (in an interview with Nina Totenberg in 2000)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy as a champion of justice, equality, and women’s rights continues to inspire and motivate people around the world. Her words of wisdom remind us that we can all make a difference, and that real change is possible. Let these 50 Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes be a reminder of her incredible life and enduring legacy.
Nitesh Kucchal
Nitesh Kuchhal, an IIM Calcutta graduate, is more than an educator—he's a mentor. With a passion for leadership and entrepreneurship, and travel. He has explored over 20 countries. Beyond teaching, he dives into psychology and discusses social issues. Though he is not a history expert, he enjoys learning about it through books, adding a historical touch to his many interests.
