a bit of wisdom from RBG
The quote in today's email from Adriene was well-timed and lovely.
To make life a little better for people less fortunate than you.
That's what I think a meaningful life is.
One lives not just for oneself, but for one's community.
-RUTH BADER GINSBURG
I went looking for the source (because that's what I do, lol), and it's from an event at Stanford in 2017. The full transcript of that event is available, with the embedded video from YouTube on the same page as well.
The full comment is delightful:
Persis Drell: (22:03)
Justice Ginsburg, it’s a huge pleasure and honor to have you with us. Thank you so much for accepting our invitation to be the Visiting Rathbun Fellow. As you know, the Rathbun program is designed to foster thinking about what it means to lead a meaningful life. You’ve said some things about that already, but could you encapsulate what it means to lead a meaningful life for you?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: (22:23)
To put it simply, it means doing something outside yourself. I tell the law students I address now and then, “If you’re going to be a lawyer and just practice your profession, well you have a skill, so you’re very much like a plumber, but if you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself, something to repair tears in your community, something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you.” That’s what I think a meaningful life is, one lives not just for oneself, but for one’s community. This entry was originally posted at https://ancalime8301.dreamwidth.org/1805055.html. Comment wherever you prefer.
To make life a little better for people less fortunate than you.
That's what I think a meaningful life is.
One lives not just for oneself, but for one's community.
-RUTH BADER GINSBURG
I went looking for the source (because that's what I do, lol), and it's from an event at Stanford in 2017. The full transcript of that event is available, with the embedded video from YouTube on the same page as well.
The full comment is delightful:
Persis Drell: (22:03)
Justice Ginsburg, it’s a huge pleasure and honor to have you with us. Thank you so much for accepting our invitation to be the Visiting Rathbun Fellow. As you know, the Rathbun program is designed to foster thinking about what it means to lead a meaningful life. You’ve said some things about that already, but could you encapsulate what it means to lead a meaningful life for you?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: (22:23)
To put it simply, it means doing something outside yourself. I tell the law students I address now and then, “If you’re going to be a lawyer and just practice your profession, well you have a skill, so you’re very much like a plumber, but if you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself, something to repair tears in your community, something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you.” That’s what I think a meaningful life is, one lives not just for oneself, but for one’s community. This entry was originally posted at https://ancalime8301.dreamwidth.org/1805055.html. Comment wherever you prefer.