I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
Sonia SotomayorRead
You know, failure hurts. Any kind of failure stings. If you live in the sting, you will - undoubtedly - fail. My way of getting past the sting is to say no, I'm just not going to let this get me down.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Failure is painful, but one must not dwell on it to overcome challenges.
In this quote, Sonia Sotomayor emphasizes the inevitability of experiencing failure and the associated pain it brings. However, she advocates for a proactive approach to dealing with these setbacks by refusing to allow the sting of failure to dictate one's mindset and decisions, instead choosing to rise above the adversities faced.
Themes
FailureResilienceMotivationSetbacksPerseverance
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to young entrepreneurs discussing overcoming challenges.
More from Sonia Sotomayor
All quotes →This wealth of experiences, personal and professional, have helped me appreciate the variety of perspectives that present themselves in every case that I hear.
Sonia SotomayorRead
I was fifteen years old when I understood how it is that things break down: people can't imagine someone else's point of view.
Sonia SotomayorRead
The truth is that since childhood I had cultivated an existential independence. It came from perceiving the adults around me as unreliable, and without it I felt I wouldn't have survived. I cared deeply for everyone in my family, but in the end I depended on myself.
Sonia SotomayorRead
As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.
Sonia SotomayorRead
There are uses to adversity, and they don't reveal themselves until tested. Whether it's serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths.
Sonia SotomayorRead
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