25 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Quotes on Standing for Justice

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a true inspiration and legal icon, who passed away on September 18th, 2020.

She has faced many trials and tribulations and held on to her beliefs and remained unflinching in her drive to stand for what is right.

This Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes collection will empower you to stand for what is right in your mind, too.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States who is credited for successfully fighting against gender discrimination and unifying the liberal block of the court.

Born on March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York, Ginsburg’s early life was heavily influenced by her mother who instilled a love of education in her.

She excelled in academia, graduating at the top of her class at Cornell University in 1954, and again graduating first in her class at Columbia Law in 1959.

Ginsburg has faced a lot of adversity in her life, including the death of her beloved mother the day before her high school graduation, gender-based discrimination, and having to care for her cancer-stricken husband while maintaining her studies at Harvard Law.

But despite all these challenges, Ginsburg has still flourished.

She has not allowed her personal struggles to deter her from reaching and exceeding her goals and dreams.

Still among the most avid questioners on the bench today, Justice Ginsburg has proven time and again that she is a force to be reckoned with.

In that respect, here are some powerful Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes to inspire you.

Also read these thoughtful lawyer quotes about justice for all.

If you love this quote collection, read out our most popular quote article about short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

If you need more inspirational quotes, check out our motivational quotes category page.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes on standing for justice

1. “We have the oldest written constitution still in force in the world, and it starts out with three words, ‘We, the people.’” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

2. “Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

3. “Rabbi Alfred Bettleheim once said: “Prejudice saves us a painful trouble, the trouble of thinking.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

4. “I don’t say women’s rights—I say the constitutional principle of the equal citizenship stature of men and women.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

5. “I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

You will also enjoy our article on Raymond Reddington quotes.

6. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

7. “We should not be held back from pursuing our full talents, from contributing what we could contribute to the society, because we fit into a certain mold ― because we belong to a group that historically has been the object of discrimination.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

8. “The emphasis must not be on the right to abortion but on the right to privacy and reproductive control.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg (see more quotes about abortion)

9. “Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

10. “Feminism… I think the simplest explanation, and one that captures the idea, is a song that Marlo Thomas sang, ‘Free to be You and Me.’” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes to inspire you to stand for what’s right

11. “America is known as a country that welcomes people to its shores. All kinds of people. The image of the Statue of Liberty with Emma Lazarus’ famous poem. She lifts her lamp and welcomes people to the golden shore, where they will not experience prejudice because of the color of their skin, the religious faith that they follow.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

12. “You think about what would have happened … Suppose I had gotten a job as a permanent associate. Probably I would have climbed up the ladder and today I would be a retired partner. So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.”- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

13. “Dissents speak to a future age. It’s not simply to say, ‘my colleagues are wrong and I would do it this way,’ but the greatest dissents do become court opinions.”- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

14. “We care about this institution more than our individual egos and we are all devoted to keeping the Supreme Court in the place that it is, as a co-equal third branch of government and I think a model for the world in the collegiality and independence of judges.”- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

15. “Reproductive choice has to be straightened out. There will never be a woman of means without choice anymore. That just seems to me so obvious. The states that changed their abortion laws before Roe are not going to change back. So we have a policy that only affects poor women, and it can never be otherwise.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

16. ”I do hope that some of my dissents will one day be the law.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg

17. “I think our system is being polluted by money.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

18. “People who are well represented at trial do not get the death penalty.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

19. “Members of the legislature, people who have run for office, know the connection between money and influence on what laws get passed.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

20. “Promoting active liberty does not mean allowing the majority to run roughshod over minorities. It calls for taking special care that all groups have a chance to fully participate in society and the political process.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Also check out these immigration quotes debating the social issue.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes that prove she’s a force to be reckoned with

21. “Approving some religious claims while deeming others unworthy of accommodation could be ‘perceived as favoring one religion over another,’ the very ‘risk the [Constitution’s] Establishment Clause was designed to preclude.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of religious quotes from all over the world.

22. “Prisons should be co-ed because separate quarters are discriminatory.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

23. “A prime part of the history of our Constitution is the story of the extension of constitutional rights to people once ignored or excluded.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

24. “There is a Constitutional right to prostitution.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

25. “A constitution, as important as it is, will mean nothing unless the people are yearning for liberty and freedom.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Did you enjoy these Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes?

Despite all the adversity she’s faced in her life, Ginsburg’s career is inspiring to say the least.

She is incomparable and should be every woman’s hero.

If she had listened to other people’s expectations of her, Ginsburg would not be the most successful litigator on the Supreme Court bench today.

So hopefully, the above quotes have inspired you to go after your dreams no matter what your critics think or say.

If you liked this article, check out these Bella Abzug quotes about the influential female politician.

Which of these Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotes was your favorite?

Do you have any other inspiring quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.