This chance will stand before you only once.

The Establishment Clause prohibits government from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community.

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.

I think the important thing about my appointment is not that I will decide cases as a woman, but that I am a woman who will get to decide cases.

The framers of the Constitution were so clear in the federalist papers and elsewhere that they felt an independent judiciary was critical to the success of the nation.

Unfortunately civility is hard to codify or legislate, but you know it when you see it. It's possible to disagree without being disagreeable.

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone.

Be aware that even before you have reached your ultimate professional destination, if you always strive for excellence, you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live.

The power I exert on the court depends on the power of the power of my arguments, not my gender

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

I have always thought that while it's wonderful to be the first to do something, you don't want to be the last.

Blind passion was one thing, all-knowing intimacy a rarer commodity.

We were immortal, did you know that? Did you feel it like me? We had the world at our feet and we were going to live forever. Then came life – growing inside you – and I became mortal.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin

I'm so sorry. I am so sorry for everything.

Usually there is a paradox in what a character wants. A conflict is built deeply within them. And then you put them in motion, throw everything at them until they reveal themselves further.

You can't just read the Koran to understand Muslim life. You have to look at history, at personalities, at economics, and so on.

To be is to be related.

I liked Camille Paglia. I liked her even better when I heard her talk.

You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?

Believe it or not, friendships are difficult to write in fiction. They can easily come across as forced, particularly if they involve too much explication and too many overt gestures of affection.