On September 18th, 2020, we shared these words on Instagram:
We all just heard the news that long-time Supreme Court Justice (and a powerhouse for gender equality and women’s rights at that) Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away after a longtime battle with cancer.
Not only did she manage cancer throughout her career, but she was also the 2nd woman ever on the U.S. Supreme Court. In her time on the court, she most notably and ardently fought for the advancement of gender equality, women’s rights — and true equality for all.
Especially the underrepresented and underserved members of society. All while maintaining bipartisan friendships with people with whom she had strong disagreements.
Her life and leadership certainly speak for themselves, but she also served as a volunteer attorney for the ACLU, a member of its board of directors and one of its general counsels in the 1970s. Prior to that, she was a trailblazer, as one of only a few women in law school.
To say that RBG shattered barriers — for herself, and for others — is the understatement of 2020.
Tonight, many are mourning this significant loss, on the court and in the U.S. (and we’ll probably be watching the RBG documentary... again). May we wake up tomorrow and continue RBG's fight for equal justice in America.
These words were true then — and they’re true today, on what would have been her 89th birthday.
Here are our favorite inspirational Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes —
Famous RBG quotes about making a difference in the world
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Justices continue to think and can change. I am ever hopeful that if the court has a blind spot today, its eyes will be open tomorrow.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I am a very strong believer in listening and learning from others.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
On her legacy
Ruth Bader Ginsburg on how she’d like to be remembered:
“Someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. And to help repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has. To do something outside of myself.”
“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 I’m inspirational. I just do the best I can.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
On feminism and equality
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“As women achieve power, the barriers will fall. As society sees what women can do, as women see what women can do, there will be more women out there doing things, and we’ll all be better off for it.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“We have made huge strides ... but we have not reached nirvana. There’s still rampant discrimination on the basis of race, gender. It’s true that most of the explicit classifications — men are treated this way, women that way — are gone from the law books. But what remains is what has been called unconscious bias. One excellent example of that is the symphony orchestra. In my growing up years I never saw a woman in a symphony orchestra, except perhaps a harp player.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I pray that I may be all that [my mother] would have been had she lived in an age when women could aspire and achieve and daughters are cherished as much as sons.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Related: Read quotes to empower women — by women
Related: Read empowering Women’s History Month quotes and International Women’s Day quotes
On democracy, justice, and the law
“A constitution, as important as it is, will mean nothing unless the people are yearning for liberty and freedom.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
"The Constitution begins with the words, “We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union.” Think about how things were in 1787. Who were ‘We the people’? Certainly not people who were held in human bondage because the original Constitution preserves slavery. Certainly not women whatever their color and not even men who own no property. It was a rather elite group, ‘We the people,’ but I think the genius of our Constitution is what Justice Thurgood Marshall said. He said he doesn’t celebrate the original Constitution but he does celebrate what the Constitution has become, now well over two centuries. That is the concept of “We the people” has become ever more inclusive. People who were left out at the beginning — slaves, women, men without property, native Americans — were not part of ‘We the people.’ Now all the once left out people are part of our political constituency. We are certainly a more perfect union as a result of that.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at a 2019 event in Little Rock, Arkansas
“When contemplated in its extreme, almost any power looks dangerous.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“I am optimistic in the long run. A great man once said the true symbol of the United States is not the bald eagle, it’s the pendulum, and when the pendulum swings too far in one direction, it will go back.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg, speaking to BBC Newsnight
Related: Read quotes about justice
More short RBG quotes
“Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“If you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it. I had a life partner who thought my work was as important as his, and I think that made all the difference for me.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
