I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
Sonia SotomayorRead
Since I have difficulty defining merit and what merit alone means - and in any context, whether it's judicial or otherwise - I accept that different experiences in and of itself, bring merit to the system.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Merit is subjective and can vary based on individual experiences that contribute to understanding in various contexts.
In this quote, Sonia Sotomayor reflects on the complexity of defining merit, suggesting that it is not a singular, universally accepted standard. Instead, she asserts that diverse experiences enrich our understanding of merit in different contexts, such as the judicial system, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and varied perspectives in evaluating merit.
Themes
MeritExperienceDiversityJudicialPerspective
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about judicial reform, this quote can highlight the importance of considering diverse experiences.
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
Similar quotes
Older men start wars, but younger men fight them.
Albert EinsteinRead
Genocide is not just a murderous madness; it is, more deeply, a politics that promises a utopia beyond politics - one people, one land, one truth, the end of difference. Since genocide is a form of political utopia, it remains an enduring temptation in any multiethnic and multicultural society in crisis.
Michael IgnatieffRead
It doesn’t matter how old I get, but as long as I continue to live I’ll always discover something new about myself.
Haruki MurakamiRead
[H]istory assures us that civilizations decay quite leisurely.
Will DurantRead
Who knows their own story? It certainly makes no sense when you’re in the middle of it
Nick CaveRead
Christianity was from the beginning, essentially and fundamentally, life's nausea and disgust with life, merely concealed behind, masked by, dressed up as, faith in "another" or "better" life.
Friedrich NietzscheRead