---
title: "1 Elected Congress Quotes By Shirley Chisholm"
description: "1 Elected Congress quotes by Shirley Chisholm. Plus more from Shirley Chisholm and more Elected Congress sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/shirley-chisholm-5073_american-citizen_i-was-the-first-american-citizen-to-be-e_3029307.png"
---

> [I was the first American citizen to be elected to Congress in spite of the double drawbacks of being female and having skin darkened by melanin. When you put it that way, it sounds like a foolish reason for fame.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-was-the-first-american-citizen-to-be-elected-to-congress-in-spite/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/shirley-chisholm-5073_american-citizen_i-was-the-first-american-citizen-to-be-e_3029307.png)

## More by Shirley Chisholm

> [It is obvious that discrimination exists. Women do not have the opportunities that men do. And women that do not conform to the system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-obvious-that-discrimination-exists-women-do-not-have-the/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [Legal discrimination between the sexes is, in almost every instance, founded on outmoded views of society and the pre-scientific beliefs about psychology and physiology.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/legal-discrimination-between-the-sexes-is-in-almost-every-instance/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [Tremendous amounts of talent are lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/tremendous-amounts-of-talent-are-lost-to-our-society-just-because/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [I love America not for what she is, but for what she can become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-love-america-not-for-what-she-is-but-for-what-she-can-become/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [I am and always will be a catalyst for change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-and-always-will-be-a-catalyst-for-change/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [The liberals in the House strongly resemble liberals I have known through the last two decades in the civil rights conflict. When it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/the-liberals-in-the-house-strongly-resemble-liberals-i-have-known/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [I am not antiwhite, because I understand that white people, like black ones, are victims of a racist society. They are products of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-am-not-antiwhite-because-i-understand-that-white-people-like-black/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says: It's a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/the-emotional-sexual-and-psychological-stereotyping-of-females-begins/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [I had met far more discrimination because I am a woman than because I am black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-had-met-far-more-discrimination-because-i-am-a-woman-than-because-i/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [Some fine men are in Congress, too few, trying to do a responsible job. But they are surrounded and almost neutralized by a greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/some-fine-men-are-in-congress-too-few-trying-to-do-a-responsible-job/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [“Following along the path of her role models, Shirley knew that if she waited for permission, she’d never receive her turn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/following-along-the-path-of-her-role-models-shirley-knew-that-if-she/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [I ran because somebody had to do it first. In this country, everybody is supposed to be able to run for president, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-ran-because-somebody-had-to-do-it-first-in-this-country-everybody/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [“The most tragic error into which older people can fall is one that is common among educators and politicians. It is to use youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/the-most-tragic-error-into-which-older-people-can-fall-is-one-that-is/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [I have never cared too much what people say. What I am interested in is what they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/i-have-never-cared-too-much-what-people-say-what-i-am-interested-in/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

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