Quotes by Sandra Day O'Connor

Those who would renegotiate the boundaries between church and state must therefore answer a difficult question: why would we trade a system that has served us so well for one that has served others so poorly?

A state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nations citizens.

Even in my own time and in my own life, I have witnessed a revolution.

The family unit plays a critical role in our society and in the training of the generation to come.

Slaying the dragon of delay is no sport for the short-winded.

Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.

Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person.

It matters enormously to a successful democratic society like ours that we have three branches of government, each with some independence and some control over the other two. Thats set out in the Constitution.

I care very much about women and their progress. I didnt go march in the streets, but when I was in the Arizona Legislature, one of the things that I did was to examine every single statute in the state of Arizona to pick out the ones that discriminated against women and get them changed.

Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.

Statutes authorizing unreasonable searches were the core concern of the framers of the 4th Amendment.

Each of us brings to our job, whatever it is, our lifetime of experience and our values.

In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity.

It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful schoolchildren.

My hope is that 10 years from now, after Ive been across the street at work for a while, theyll all be glad they gave me that wonderful vote.

It is a measure of the framers fear that a passing majority might find it expedient to compromise 4th Amendment values that these values were embodied in the Constitution itself.

You have citizens who dont understand how government works and theyre kind of soured on it. All they do is criticize. They have no idea that they can make things happen.

We have a complex system of government. You have to teach it to every generation.

For students, understanding the separate and unique functions of each branch of government can help them understand how different kinds of government officials can help solve different kinds of problems.

We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to the values, principles, and education they need to make them good citizens.