--- title: "3 Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Quotes - Famous Lawyer" description: "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was a pioneering Black professional and civil rights activist of the early-to-mid-20th century. In 1921, Mossell Alexande..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b021/author-sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander-82224.jpg" --- ![Portrait of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b021/author-sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander-82224.jpg) # Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898–1989) Lawyer United States **3** quotes in **46** categories Rate this collection: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was a lawyer from the United States, best known for *A study of the negro tuberculosis problem in Philadelphia*. ## Quick Facts About Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Born January 2, 1898 Died November 1, 1989 Nationality United States Profession Lawyer Notable works A study of the negro tuberculosis problem in Philadelphia Spouse Raymond Pace Alexander ## About Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was a pioneering Black professional and civil rights activist of the early-to-mid-20th century. In 1921, Mossell Alexander was the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in economics. In 1927, she was the first Black woman to receive a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and went on to become the first Black woman to practice law in the state. She was also the first national president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, serving from 1919 to 1923. ## Awards & Honors honorary doctorate Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association honorary doctor of the University of Pennsylvania ## Quotes by Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander > [ \[On being first black woman to earn a PhD in economics and first black woman admitted to Pennsylvania bar:\] I never looked… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/on-being-first-black-woman-to-earn-a-phd-in-economics-and-first-black/) Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_admitted_on-being-first-black-woman-to-earn-a-phd_451217.jpg) > [Don't let anything stop you. There will be times when you'll be disappointed, but you can't stop. Make yourself the best that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/don-t-let-anything-stop-you-there-will-be-times-when-you-ll-be/) Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander [African american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_african-american_don-t-let-anything-stop-you-there-will-b_1888031.jpg) > [I knew well that the only way I could get that door open was to knock it down; because I knocked all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/i-knew-well-that-the-only-way-i-could-get-that-door-open-was-to-knock/) Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander [African american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/african-american/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cd/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_african-american_i-knew-well-that-the-only-way-i-could-ge_3074026.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/#itemlist", "name": "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Quotes", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[On being first black woman to earn a PhD in economics and first black woman admitted to Pennsylvania bar:] I never looked for anybody to hold the door open for me. I knew well that the only way I could get that door open was to knock it down: because I knocked all of them down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/on-being-first-black-woman-to-earn-a-phd-in-economics-and-first-black/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_admitted_on-being-first-black-woman-to-earn-a-phd_451217.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_admitted_on-being-first-black-woman-to-earn-a-phd_451217.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_admitted_on-being-first-black-woman-to-earn-a-phd_451217.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[On being first black woman to earn a PhD in economics and first black woman admitted to Pennsylvania bar:]…” — Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't let anything stop you. There will be times when you'll be disappointed, but you can't stop. Make yourself the best that you can make out of what you are. The very best.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/don-t-let-anything-stop-you-there-will-be-times-when-you-ll-be/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_african-american_don-t-let-anything-stop-you-there-will-b_1888031.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_african-american_don-t-let-anything-stop-you-there-will-b_1888031.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb8/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_african-american_don-t-let-anything-stop-you-there-will-b_1888031.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't let anything stop you. There will be times when you'll be disappointed, but you can't stop. Make…” — Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I knew well that the only way I could get that door open was to knock it down; because I knocked all of them down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/i-knew-well-that-the-only-way-i-could-get-that-door-open-was-to-knock/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cd/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_african-american_i-knew-well-that-the-only-way-i-could-ge_3074026.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cd/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_african-american_i-knew-well-that-the-only-way-i-could-ge_3074026.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cd/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_african-american_i-knew-well-that-the-only-way-i-could-ge_3074026.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I knew well that the only way I could get that door open was to knock it down; because I knocked all of them…” — Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/#person", "name": "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/", "image": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b021/author-sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander-82224.jpg" }, { "@type": "ProfilePage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/", "name": "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/#person" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander_admitted_on-being-first-black-woman-to-earn-a-phd_451217.jpg" }, "description": "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was a pioneering Black professional and civil rights activist of the early-to-mid-20th century. In 1921, Mossell Alexande...", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Authors", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/authors/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```