---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Supreme Court told me that I should…"
description: "\"The Supreme Court told me that I should have filed a complaint within six months of the company's first decision to pay me less even though I didn't kn..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/lilly-ledbetter-39097_about_the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should_307465.png"
---

#  The Supreme Court told me that I should have filed a…

![“The Supreme Court told me that I should have filed a complaint within six months of the company's first decision to pay me less even though I didn't know about it for nearly two decades.” quote by Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/lilly-ledbetter-39097_about_the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should_307465.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/lilly-ledbetter-39097_about_the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should_307465.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/lilly-ledbetter-39097_about_the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should_307465.png)

> “The Supreme Court told me that I should have filed a complaint within six months of the company's first decision to pay me less even though I didn't know about it for nearly two decades.”

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The law required filing a complaint within six months of the employer’s decision, even if the employee learned of it much later.

**In simple terms:** Late discovery doesn’t excuse missing legal deadlines.

Key Takeaway

Act promptly when you learn of a grievance.

Themes

legal rights employment law statutes of limitations

Mood

frustrated determined

Type

legal informational

When to use this quote

- Workplace discrimination
- wage disputes
- filing complaints
- legal counsel

Key Concepts

Labor law employee protections

Questions to Reflect On

- How can employees protect themselves against delayed disclosures?
- What reforms could balance fairness for both parties?

A Different Perspective

Statutes of limitations can be rigid, potentially unfair to unaware employees.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Complaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaint/) [Complaint Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaint-months-2924090/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Court Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court-told-2924091/) [Decades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Filed Complaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filed-complaint-2924089/) [First](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/less/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Nearly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearly/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Six months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six-months/) [Supreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supreme/) [Supreme court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supreme-court/) [Though](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/though/) [Told Filed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-filed-2924092/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Within](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/within/)

## Related quotes

> [Gratitude is the law of increase, and complaint is the law of decrease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-scovel-shinn/gratitude-is-the-law-of-increase-and-complaint-is-the-law-of-decrease/)

[Florence Scovel Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-scovel-shinn/)

> [“Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/any-fool-can-criticize-complain-and-condemn-and-most-fools-do-but-it/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [“Maturity is when you stop complaining and making excuses in your life; you realize everything that happens in life is a result of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/maturity-is-when-you-stop-complaining-and-making-excuses-in-your-life/)

[Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/)

> [“Spend your efforts making a case as opposed to just making a complaint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-g-duarte/spend-your-efforts-making-a-case-as-opposed-to-just-making-a-complaint/)

[Jeffrey G. Duarte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-g-duarte/)

> [To suffer without complaint is the only lesson we have to learn in this life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-suffer-without-complaint-is-the-only-lesson-we-have-to-learn-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Stop Complaining . A person who complains constantly sees only the bad things that are happening around him or her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/stop-complaining-a-person-who-complains-constantly-sees-only-the-bad/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [I am not possessive at all. In every relationship I have had, the girl has left me. And the fundamental complaint has been that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shekhar-kapur/i-am-not-possessive-at-all-in-every-relationship-i-have-had-the-girl/)

[Shekhar Kapur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shekhar-kapur/)

> [I've got a new complaint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirvana/i-ve-got-a-new-complaint/)

[Nirvana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirvana/)

> [Deal with complaints. If you give the complaint your attention, you may be able to please this one person this one time - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ward/deal-with-complaints-if-you-give-the-complaint-your-attention-you-may/)

[Susan Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ward/)

> [Always welcome your customer's scorn. This rule says read the complaint letters. Categorize them. Decide how you are going to wipe them out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-silverstein/always-welcome-your-customer-s-scorn-this-rule-says-read-the/)

[Michael J. Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-silverstein/)

> [You have a valid complaint, and I do recognize it ... but you are reading into things a little bit. Just the same, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kirkman/you-have-a-valid-complaint-and-i-do-recognize-it-but-you-are-reading/)

[Robert Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kirkman/)

> [I am basically a complainer and all the grounds for complaint have been swept out from under me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/i-am-basically-a-complainer-and-all-the-grounds-for-complaint-have/)

[Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/)

> [I'm proposing a change: love thy worker-bee. Celebrate the ones who toil without complaint, play on a team, construct the hive, produce the honey...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/i-m-proposing-a-change-love-thy-worker-bee-celebrate-the-ones-who/)

[Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/)

> [I dish the dirt out, and I can take it. But why should my mother and children have to take it? In 20 years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/i-dish-the-dirt-out-and-i-can-take-it-but-why-should-my-mother-and/)

[Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/)

> [Art is either a complaint or appeasement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/art-is-either-a-complaint-or-appeasement/)

[Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/)

## More by Lilly Ledbetter

> [In the end, I didn't get a dime of the money I was shortchanged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/in-the-end-i-didn-t-get-a-dime-of-the-money-i-was-shortchanged/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [The first bill that President Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I think it says something about his priorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/the-first-bill-that-president-obama-signed-into-law-was-the-lilly/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [Some of you may know my story: How for nineteen years, I worked as a manager for a tire plant in Alabama. And some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/some-of-you-may-know-my-story-how-for-nineteen-years-i-worked-as-a/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [Twenty-three cents may not sound like a lot to someone with a Swiss bank account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/twenty-three-cents-may-not-sound-like-a-lot-to-someone-with-a-swiss/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [Maybe 23 cents doesn't sound like a lot to someone with a Swiss bank account, Cayman Island Investments and an IRA worth tens of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/maybe-23-cents-doesn-t-sound-like-a-lot-to-someone-with-a-swiss-bank/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [I'll be happy if the last thing they say about me after I die is that I made a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/i-ll-be-happy-if-the-last-thing-they-say-about-me-after-i-die-is-that/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [There's nothing I wouldn't do, no matter how dirty or hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/there-s-nothing-i-wouldn-t-do-no-matter-how-dirty-or-hard/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [“I sometimes worried I'd never experience that sense of wonder you feel meeting a new friend or traveling to a new place for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/i-sometimes-worried-i-d-never-experience-that-sense-of-wonder-you/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [We sought justice because equal pay for equal work is an American value. That fight took me ten years. It took me all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/we-sought-justice-because-equal-pay-for-equal-work-is-an-american/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

> [Because women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar men make. Those pennies add up to real money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/because-women-still-earn-just-77-cents-for-every-dollar-men-make/)

[Lilly Ledbetter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

[Explore all 11 Lilly Ledbetter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/)

## More About quotes

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/)

[Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/)

[Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

[Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Supreme Court told me that I should have filed a complaint within six months of the company's first decision to pay me less even though I didn't know about it for nearly two decades.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lilly Ledbetter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should-have-filed-a-complaint-within/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should-have-filed-a-complaint-within/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/lilly-ledbetter-39097_about_the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should_307465.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/lilly-ledbetter-39097_about_the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should_307465.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/lilly-ledbetter-39097_about_the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should_307465.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Supreme Court told me that I should have filed a complaint within six months of the company's first…” — Lilly Ledbetter",
                "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": "Lilly Ledbetter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-ledbetter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Supreme Court told me that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should-have-filed-a-complaint-within/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-ledbetter/the-supreme-court-told-me-that-i-should-have-filed-a-complaint-within/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
