Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's Most Inspiring Quotes

"It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we've made it! We've made it — all of us."

— in her speech following her Supreme Court confirmation

"Our children are telling me that they see now, more than ever, that, here in America, anything is possible."

— in her speech following her Supreme Court confirmation

"I am here standing on the shoulders of generations of Americans who never had anything close to this kind of opportunity. This nomination is significant to a lot of people, and I hope that it will bring confidence, it will help inspire people to understand that our courts are like them, that our judges are like them. Doing the work, being part of our government: I think it's very important."

— in her remarks after her Supreme Court nomination was confirmed

"I hope to inspire people to try to follow this path, because I love this country, because I love the law, because I think it is important that we all invest in our future. And the young people are the future."

— during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate

"I am also ever buoyed by the leadership of generations past who helped to light the way. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Justice Thurgood Marshall, and my personal heroine, Judge Constance Baker Motley. They and so many others did the heavy lifting that made this day possible."

— in her remarks after her Supreme Court nomination was confirmed

"I've experienced life in perhaps a different way than some of my colleagues because of who I am ... I hope it would be valuable if I was confirmed to the circuit court."

— in a circuit court confirmation hearing

"It literally takes a village to make a judge."

— in an interview with the Washington Post following her confirmation hearings

"I'm so honored to have so many people who have encouraged me, who have supported me and who view this as a really important step for our country and for our society. It's not about me personally, in a sense. I'm embodying this progress that many people feel we're making by having me appointed to this seat. And so it's pretty daunting in a lot of ways.

"It means you feel the weight of wanting to succeed, not just for you in your own independent status, but because so many people are watching and view this as a door opening for others. I know in the past I've felt, 'Gosh, I've really got to do well here so that other people will have this opportunity down the line.' That I might be the first, but I don't want to be the last, and it's on my shoulders to make sure that I leave a good impression so that others can follow."

— in an interview with the Washington Post following her confirmation hearings

"The rule of law is about people's faith in the institution. You sometimes hear a lot of talk about the importance of public perception — having faith in the judiciary. I think one of the ways that judges can help promote that is to not be isolated in an ivory tower but actually be in communication with the people whom the law governs."

— in an interview with the Washington Post following her confirmation hearings

" 'How did you get to this point? What was important for you?' And it really was the high school debate coach who took an interest in me and encouraged me, and the many judges that I had the opportunity the clerk for. And so I know how important it is — not just to have the books and materials and be able to read and write in the abstract or in isolation, but to have someone who takes an interest in you. I'd like to be that kind of a role model for young people."

— in an interview with the Washington Post following her confirmation hearings

"I think you have to be comfortable with perhaps not being perfect at [both work and parenting] all the time. There are things that you have to kind of let go — 'This is good enough' — because it's very hard to do everything at once at such a high level."

— in an interview with the Washington Post following her confirmation hearings

"I take my responsibilities very seriously. I'm a mom and a real person and a wife and doing the best that I can. Judges are human beings. We have a duty that we focus on and that we take seriously. And it's hard because the nature of our work involves resolving disputes, so someone is always going to be disappointed, someone's going to lose. But in our society, we've agreed that this is the way in which disputes get resolved. We've agreed on the process. And I'm so honored to be a part of that."

— in an interview with the Washington Post following her confirmation hearings

"I have dedicated my career to public service because I love this country and our Constitution and the rights that make us free."

— in her speech following her Supreme Court confirmation

"I have worked hard to get to this point in my career, and I have now achieved something far beyond anything my grandparents could've possibly ever imagined. But no one does this on their own. The path was cleared for me so that I might rise to this occasion.

"And in the poetic words of Dr. Maya Angelou, I do so now, while 'bringing the gifts…my ancestors gave. I am the dream and the hope of the slave.'

"So as I take on this new role, I strongly believe that this is a moment in which all Americans can take great pride.

"We have come a long way toward perfecting our union.

"In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States."

— in her speech following her Supreme Court confirmation

"Persevere."

— her one word of advice to young people, shared with her by a fellow Harvard student in her early days at the university