QuoteProject
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 Sotomayor
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects the importance of self-reliance and independence shaped by childhood experiences.

Sonia Sotomayor emphasizes the development of her existential independence during childhood, attributed to her perception of the unreliability of adults around her. Despite a deep care for her family, she recognized that her survival and ability to thrive depended ultimately on her own strength and self-sufficiency.

Themes

IndependenceSelf-RelianceFamilySurvivalChildhood

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about overcoming adversity, one might use this quote to highlight the importance of self-dependence.

More from Sonia Sotomayor

I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
Sonia SotomayorRead
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
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
I want to state upfront, unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any racial, ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge, regardless of their background or life experiences.
Sonia SotomayorRead

Similar quotes

We need a certain amount of energy to produce the sound. But then to sustain it, we have to give more energy, or otherwise, it goes and it dies in silence. And therefore, sound is absolutely, inextricably connected to time, the length of time.
Daniel BarenboimRead
There is no opinion, however absurd, which men will not readily embrace as soon as they can be brought to the conviction that it is generally adopted.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead
Every cloud engenders not a storm.
William ShakespeareRead
Welcome to the Desert of the Real.
Jean BaudrillardRead
I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability.
Jack NicholsonRead
I have always marched to my own beat, and most frequently, it was inconsistent not only with my own immediate family, but with my culture as well.
Wayne DyerRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.