--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When RBG fretted over the first dry…" description: "\"“When RBG fretted over the first dry opinion the chief justice assigned her, O'Connor gave her a pep talk. As RBG read that opinion on the bench, O'Con..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/irin-carmon-41322_community_when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opin_1602135.jpg" --- # When RBG fretted over the first dry opinion the chief… ![“When RBG fretted over the first dry opinion the chief justice assigned her, O'Connor gave her a pep talk. As RBG read that opinion on the bench, O'Connor, who had dissented in the case, passed her a note. "This is your first opinion for the Court," she had written. "It is a fine one, I look…” quote by Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/irin-carmon-41322_community_when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opin_1602135.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/irin-carmon-41322_community_when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opin_1602135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/irin-carmon-41322_community_when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opin_1602135.jpg) > ““When RBG fretted over the first dry opinion the chief justice assigned her, O'Connor gave her a pep talk. As RBG read that opinion on the bench, O'Connor, who had dissented in the case, passed her a note. "This is your first opinion for the Court," she had written. "It is a fine one, I look forward to many more." Remembering the comfort that note gave her on such a nerve wracking day, RBG did the same for the next two women to join the court, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.”” [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Senior judges often support newcomers with encouragement, fostering confidence and a supportive culture within the judiciary. **In simple terms:** Experienced judges help new ones feel welcome. Key Takeaway Offer mentorship and encouragement. Themes leadership mentorship judiciary gender support Mood inspirational reflective Type historical motivational When to use this quote - first day on the bench - high‑stakes opinions - career transitions - court dynamics Key Concepts institutional culture confidence building peer support Questions to Reflect On - How can mentorship be formalized in courts? - What barriers remain for women judges? A Different Perspective Support may not overcome systemic biases or workload pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Pep talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pep-talk/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [“Have you heard from his lordship lately?” I asked. “Oh no! About six months ago I had indeed one little note, but I gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/have-you-heard-from-his-lordship-lately-i-asked-oh-no-about-six/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [My father was a doctor, but his passion was making cars, and he was also very good at carpentry. He was a gem, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harshvardhan-rane/my-father-was-a-doctor-but-his-passion-was-making-cars-and-he-was/) [Harshvardhan Rane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harshvardhan-rane/) > [If Democrats get another Elena Kagan, who has no business being there, if they get another Senorita Sonia Sotomayor, if they get another Stephen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/if-democrats-get-another-elena-kagan-who-has-no-business-being-there/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Tester voted for President Obama's nominations of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan but opposed President Trump's nomination of Neil Gorsuch. That's not representing our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rosendale/tester-voted-for-president-obama-s-nominations-of-sonia-sotomayor-and/) [Matt Rosendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rosendale/) > [One of my bosses, as it happens, was Elena Kagan. And I had pretty good vantage for watching her as she crafted policy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neera-tanden/one-of-my-bosses-as-it-happens-was-elena-kagan-and-i-had-pretty-good/) [Neera Tanden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neera-tanden/) > [In 1987, I had my first opportunity to provide 'advice and consent' on a Supreme Court nominee. At that time, I stated that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/in-1987-i-had-my-first-opportunity-to-provide-advice-and-consent-on-a/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [My Democratic colleagues should not forget that President Obama's Supreme Court nominees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were both given up or down votes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-tillis/my-democratic-colleagues-should-not-forget-that-president-obama-s/) [Thom Tillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-tillis/) ## More by Irin Carmon > [“Marshall had died five months earlier and could not be reached for comment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/marshall-had-died-five-months-earlier-and-could-not-be-reached-for/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“The people closest to RBG find her entrance to the zeitgeist hilarious, if perplexing. “It’s hard for me to think of someone less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/the-people-closest-to-rbg-find-her-entrance-to-the-zeitgeist/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“My mother-in-law meant simply this,” RBG said. “Sometimes people say unkind or thoughtless things, and when they do, it is best to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/my-mother-in-law-meant-simply-this-rbg-said-sometimes-people-say/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“She wrote that she was pretty sure more women and people of color could enroll “without denying to white men of merit a fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/she-wrote-that-she-was-pretty-sure-more-women-and-people-of-color/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“Her every utterance is clickbait, and according to the headlines, she no longer says anything, but rather “eviscerates.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/her-every-utterance-is-clickbait-and-according-to-the-headlines-she/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“Her “feminist friends,” she said, have asked why Scalia, a man, got to sit in the front. “It had to do with the distribution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/her-feminist-friends-she-said-have-asked-why-scalia-a-man-got-to-sit/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/i-just-try-to-do-the-good-job-that-i-have-to-the-best-of-my-ability/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“Her father, Nathan, worried about Kiki wanting to be a lawyer. So few women had made it. How would she support herself? He had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/her-father-nathan-worried-about-kiki-wanting-to-be-a-lawyer-so-few/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) > [“A FULLY ADULT HUMAN, RESPONSIBLE FOR HER OWN CHOICES”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/a-fully-adult-human-responsible-for-her-own-choices/) [Irin Carmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) [Explore all 10 Irin Carmon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/) [Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) [Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When RBG fretted over the first dry opinion the chief justice assigned her, O'Connor gave her a pep talk. As RBG read that opinion on the bench, O'Connor, who had dissented in the case, passed her a note. \"This is your first opinion for the Court,\" she had written. \"It is a fine one, I look forward to many more.\" Remembering the comfort that note gave her on such a nerve wracking day, RBG did the same for the next two women to join the court, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Irin Carmon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opinion-the-chief-justice/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Community" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opinion-the-chief-justice/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/irin-carmon-41322_community_when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opin_1602135.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/irin-carmon-41322_community_when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opin_1602135.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cad/irin-carmon-41322_community_when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opin_1602135.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When RBG fretted over the first dry opinion the chief justice assigned her, O'Connor gave her a pep talk. As…” — Irin Carmon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Irin Carmon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irin-carmon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When RBG fretted over the first...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opinion-the-chief-justice/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irin-carmon/when-rbg-fretted-over-the-first-dry-opinion-the-chief-justice/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```