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. That's set out in the Constitution.

— Sandra Day O'Connor

I've always said that at the end of the day, on a legal issue, I think a wise old woman and a wise old man are going to reach the same conclusion.

— Sandra Day O'Connor

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

— Sandra Day O'Connor

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

— Sandra Day O'Connor

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.

— Sandra Day O'Connor

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

— Sandra Day O'Connor

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

— 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?

— Sandra Day O'Connor

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weaving of individual threads form one to another that creates something.

— Sandra Day O'Connor

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

— Sandra Day O'Connor