On September 18, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87 due to complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. And although the Notorious RBG — as she had endearingly become known — is no longer here, her inspiring work and words remain.
Below, you’ll find 15 of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s most iconic quotes about women’s rights, activism and even love that we’re sure will continue to impact generations to come.
1. “Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
2. “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”– RUTH BADER GINSBURG
3. “So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.”– RUTH BADER GINSBURG
4. “Don’t be distracted by emotions like anger, envy, resentment. These just zap energy and waste time.”– 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
6. “I don’t say women’s rights—I say the constitutional principle of the equal citizenship stature of men and women.”– RUTH BADER GINSBURG
7. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”– RUTH BADER GINSBURG
8. “Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”– RUTH BADER GINSBURG
9. “People ask me sometimes… ‘When will there be enough women on the court?’ And my answer is: ‘When there are nine.” – RUTH BADER GINSBURG
10. “Feminism [is the] notion that we should each be free to develop our own talents and not be held back by manmade barriers.”– RUTH BADER GINSBURG
11. “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” – RUTH BADER GINSBURG
12. “I remember envying the boys long before I even knew the word feminism, because I liked shop better than cooking or sewing.” – RUTH BADER GINSBURG
13. “If you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it. I had a life partner who thought my work was as important as his, and I think that made all the difference for me.” – RUTH BADER GINSBURG
14. “Every now and then it helps to be a little deaf…That advice has stood me in good stead. Not simply in dealing with my marriage, but in dealing with my colleagues.”– RUTH BADER GINSBURG
15. “I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability.”– RUTH BADER GINSBURG