Sonia Sotomayor

Although wisdom is built on life experiences, the mere accumulation of years guarantees nothing.

— Sonia Sotomayor

I was fifteen years old when I understood how it is that things break down: people can't imagine someone else's point of…

— Sonia Sotomayor

My mom loved the book [My beloved world] and she said to me, 'I never knew you had done so much.'

— Sonia Sotomayor

“Without acknowledgment and communication, forgiveness was beyond reach.”

— Sonia Sotomayor

Remember that no one succeeds alone. Never walk alone in your future paths.

— Sonia Sotomayor

“...you cannot value dreams according to the odds of their coming true. The real value is in stirring within us the will…

— Sonia Sotomayor

Much of the uncertainty of law is not an unfortunate accident: it is of immense social value.

— Sonia Sotomayor

Sometimes, even if there was no useful advice to give, I saw that listening still helped.

— Sonia Sotomayor

“I accepted what the Sisters taught in religion class: that God is loving, merciful, charitable, forgiving. That message didn't jibe with adults…

— Sonia Sotomayor

I am eternally grateful to all of the Latino groups outside of the Puerto Rican community, but including the Puerto-Rican community, who…

— Sonia Sotomayor

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…

— Sonia Sotomayor

It is very important when you judge to recognize that you have to stay impartial. That's what the nature of my job…

— Sonia Sotomayor

“It’s fine to be on the side of the little guy, but he too will ultimately suffer if the health and concerns…

— Sonia Sotomayor

I have come to believe that in order to thrive, a child must have at least one adult in her life who…

— Sonia Sotomayor

This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your…

— 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…

— Sonia Sotomayor

I am a product of affirmative action. I am the perfect affirmative action baby. I am Puerto Rican, born and raised in…

— Sonia Sotomayor

“A student recently posed another question that gave me pause: “Given that there are only nine Supreme Court Justices, each with life…

— Sonia Sotomayor

When everyone at school is speaking one language, and a lot of your classmates' parents also speak it, and you go home…

— Sonia Sotomayor

There are drones flying over the air randomly that are recording everything that's happening on what we consider our private property. That…

— Sonia Sotomayor

“Learning how to balance the needs of individuals with the no-less-real needs of an institution was an important lesson. It's fine to…

— Sonia Sotomayor

“I will be judged as a human being by what readers find here. There are hazards to openness, but they seem minor…

— Sonia Sotomayor

I have always been actively involved in my community, belonging to organizations that promote the interests of Latinos. But I also know…

— Sonia Sotomayor

I don't view prosecutors and attorneys as natural enemies. ... Though their roles are oppositional, the two simply have different roles to…

— Sonia Sotomayor

The best I could say about third grade was that it was a more or less continuous state of dread.

— Sonia Sotomayor

Sometimes, idealistic people are put off the whole business of networking as something tainted by flattery and the pursuit of selfish advantage.…

— Sonia Sotomayor

as for the possibility of 'having it all,' career and family with no sacrifice to either, that is a myth we would…

— Sonia Sotomayor

Since I have difficulty defining merit and what merit alone means - and in any context, whether it's judicial or otherwise -…

— Sonia Sotomayor

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…

— Sonia Sotomayor

In my experience when a friend unloaded about a boyfriend or spouse, the listener soaked up the complaint and remembered it long…

— Sonia Sotomayor

I hope that as the Senate and the American people learn more about me they will see that I am an ordinary…

— Sonia Sotomayor

When you have strong views about how to approach thinking about the law, then that view is going to lead to certain…

— Sonia Sotomayor

It is our responsibility to explain to the public how an often unpredictable system of justice is one that serves a productive,…

— Sonia Sotomayor

Same way I have my entire life. Keep my family and friends close. My Latino friends close. I visit the island [Puerto…

— Sonia Sotomayor

What's quote-unquote a 'good' lawyer, doctor, or whatever the profession is. And if you're a male who grew up professionally in a…

— Sonia Sotomayor

“As difficult an environment as the DA's Office could be, I saw no overarching conspiracy against women. The unequal treatment was usually…

— Sonia Sotomayor

I savor life. When you have anything that threatens life... it prods you into stepping back and really appreciating the value of…

— Sonia Sotomayor

Without question, so many people, throughout my life, never think of Puerto Rico as part of the United States. Many people have…

— Sonia Sotomayor

If I go home, get a gun, come back and shoot you, that may not be legal under New York law because…

— Sonia Sotomayor

The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race, and…

— Sonia Sotomayor