--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In high school, I discovered myself. I…" description: "\"In high school, I discovered myself. I was interested in race relations and the legal profession. I read about Lincoln and that he believed the law to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/constance-baker-motley-14556_difficult_in-high-school-i-discovered-myself-i-was_2466442.png" --- # In high school, I discovered myself. I was interested in… ![“In high school, I discovered myself. I was interested in race relations and the legal profession. I read about Lincoln and that he believed the law to be the most difficult of professions.” quote by Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/constance-baker-motley-14556_difficult_in-high-school-i-discovered-myself-i-was_2466442.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/constance-baker-motley-14556_difficult_in-high-school-i-discovered-myself-i-was_2466442.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/298/constance-baker-motley-14556_difficult_in-high-school-i-discovered-myself-i-was_2466442.png) > “In high school, I discovered myself. I was interested in race relations and the legal profession. I read about Lincoln and that he believed the law to be the most difficult of professions.” [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on discovering personal identity and interest in law through Lincoln’s example of legal difficulty. **In simple terms:** Self‑discovery through law and Lincoln’s example. Key Takeaway Explore identity via law and role models. Themes identity justice inspiration Mood thoughtful determined Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - law school - civil rights activism - public service - historical study Key Concepts civil rights legal profession Questions to Reflect On - How does Lincoln’s view of law influence your path? - What challenges arise when linking identity to profession? A Different Perspective May idealize historical figures without critical analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Discovered Interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovered-interested-715451/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-difficult-715449/) [Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lincoln/) [Lincoln Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lincoln-believed-715450/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Race relations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-relations/) [Read Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-lincoln-715448/) [Relation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relation/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [My favorite thought about Abraham Lincoln is he believed in two things: loving one another and working together to make this world better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/my-favorite-thought-about-abraham-lincoln-is-he-believed-in-two/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [“God, Lincoln believed, is seen more clearly events that in nature, though He maybe seen there also. It is a majestic thing, thought Lincoln,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-trueblood/god-lincoln-believed-is-seen-more-clearly-events-that-in-nature/) [Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-trueblood/) > [Lincoln believed in the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/lincoln-believed-in-the-american-people/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“The problem is that we tend too often to read Lincoln's growth backward, as an unproblematic trajectory toward a predetermined end. This enables scholars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/the-problem-is-that-we-tend-too-often-to-read-lincoln-s-growth/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [It will be seen that the formula - 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law' has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/it-will-be-seen-that-the-formula-do-what-thou-wilt-shall-be-the-whole/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“The theme of the next sentence is the heart of his message: “The Almighty has His own purposes.” This is what Lincoln believed now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mansfield/the-theme-of-the-next-sentence-is-the-heart-of-his-message-the/) [Stephen Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mansfield/) > [Founded when Abraham Lincoln believed education could lead the nation out of its darkest days, Ohio State now provides a powerful platform of interdisciplinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-gee/founded-when-abraham-lincoln-believed-education-could-lead-the-nation/) [Gordon Gee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-gee/) > [When Thurgood Marshall became a lawyer, race relations in the United States were particularly bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/when-thurgood-marshall-became-a-lawyer-race-relations-in-the-united/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [I think when people talk about race relations in America, they talk about African-American and white people. Asians are not often brought into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-chieng/i-think-when-people-talk-about-race-relations-in-america-they-talk/) [Ronny Chieng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-chieng/) > [As a result of that forgiveness, I will never criticize or attack any of your past actions or remarks concerning matters of race relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/as-a-result-of-that-forgiveness-i-will-never-criticize-or-attack-any/) [James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/) > [You also had in Detroit that summer, an early variation of Ferguson. A black prostitute was shot in the back by police. And all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/you-also-had-in-detroit-that-summer-an-early-variation-of-ferguson-a/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [“was my first indication that the policies of Mamaw’s “party of the working man”—the Democrats—weren’t all they were cracked up to be. Political scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/was-my-first-indication-that-the-policies-of-mamaw-s-party-of-the/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [In a manner akin to the influence of Tiger Woods on the other side of the Atlantic, Thierry Henry has helped kick down a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-gill/in-a-manner-akin-to-the-influence-of-tiger-woods-on-the-other-side-of/) [Pete Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-gill/) > [“Love is not coercion, and the state is only an agent of coercion. It has no other function and can work no other way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mcdurmon/love-is-not-coercion-and-the-state-is-only-an-agent-of-coercion-it/) [Joel McDurmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mcdurmon/) > [The growth of race relations management, diversity training and 'promoting good relations' has come at a cost. We are more sensitized to racism, yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/the-growth-of-race-relations-management-diversity-training-and/) [Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/) ## More by Constance Baker Motley > [Doing away with separate black colleges meets resistance from alumni and other blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/doing-away-with-separate-black-colleges-meets-resistance-from-alumni/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Living at the YMCA in Harlem dramatically broadened my view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/living-at-the-ymca-in-harlem-dramatically-broadened-my-view-of-the/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Sexism, like racism, goes with us into the next century. I see class warfare as overshadowing both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/sexism-like-racism-goes-with-us-into-the-next-century-i-see-class/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Had it not been for James Meredith, who was willing to risk his life, the University of Mississippi would still be all white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/had-it-not-been-for-james-meredith-who-was-willing-to-risk-his-life/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [New Orleans may well have been the most liberal Deep South city in 1954 becaThe legal difference between the sit-ins and the Freedom Riders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/new-orleans-may-well-have-been-the-most-liberal-deep-south-city-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [I remember being infuriated from the top of my head to the tip of my toes the first time a screen was put around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/i-remember-being-infuriated-from-the-top-of-my-head-to-the-tip-of-my/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [A Negro who does not vote is ungrateful to those who have already died in the fight for freedom. ... Any person who does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/a-negro-who-does-not-vote-is-ungrateful-to-those-who-have-already/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Affirmitive action is extremely complex because it appears in many different forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/affirmitive-action-is-extremely-complex-because-it-appears-in-many/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [I was born and raised in the oldest settled part of the nation and in an environment in which racism was officially mooted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/i-was-born-and-raised-in-the-oldest-settled-part-of-the-nation-and-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Whites would rather not be involved in race matters, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/whites-would-rather-not-be-involved-in-race-matters-i-think/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [By 1962, King had become, by the media's reckoning, the new civil rights leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/by-1962-king-had-become-by-the-media-s-reckoning-the-new-civil-rights/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [How long must the American community afford special treatment to blacks?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/how-long-must-the-american-community-afford-special-treatment-to/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [The last state to admit a black student to the college level was South Carolina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-last-state-to-admit-a-black-student-to-the-college-level-was/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [Something which we think is impossible now is not impossible in another decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/something-which-we-think-is-impossible-now-is-not-impossible-in/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) > [The Constitution, as originally drawn, made no reference to the fact that all Americans wre considered equal members of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/the-constitution-as-originally-drawn-made-no-reference-to-the-fact/) [Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) [Explore all 46 Constance Baker Motley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/) ## More Difficult quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. 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