“My mother told me to be a lady.
And for her that meant be your own person, be independent.
I do think I was born under a very bright star. Because if you think about my life, I get out of law school. I have top grades. No law firm in the city of New York will hire me. I end up teaching. It gave me time to devote to the movement for balancing out the rights of women and men."
~ Ruth Bader Ginsberg
(1933-2020)
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was truly extraordinary. To say her life could be a great movie almost feels redundant—after all, there have already been two. The brilliant documentary RBG (who could forget the scenes of her training in the gym?) and On the Basis of Sex, with Felicity Jones portraying her. Long before joining the Supreme Court, she had already transformed the world for women in ways that will never be undone.
I had the brief honor of meeting her three years ago at The Lotos Club in New York, where I was staying. To my surprise, one morning as I left my room, she stepped out of the one next door. We shared the elevator down to breakfast with her assistant, and I took the chance to thank her for all she had done for humanity. She gave me a gracious smile and allowed me to shake her hand. I was struck by how small she was—barely five feet—but to the world she will always be remembered as a giant of justice and a tireless fighter for what is right.