There are uses to adversity, and they don't reveal themselves until tested. Whether it's serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths.

More quotes by Sonia Sotomayor

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"It is important for all of us to appreciate where we come from and how that history has really shaped us in ways that we might not understand."

- Sonia Sotomayor

Awareness

"My diabetes is such a central part of my life… It did teach me discipline… it also taught me about moderation… I’ve trained myself to be super-vigilant… because I feel better when I am in control."

- Sonia Sotomayor

Self-awareness

"Diabetes taught me discipline."

- Sonia Sotomayor

Personal Growth

"I don’t measure myself by others’ expectations or let others define my worth."

- Sonia Sotomayor

Self-esteem

"I do know one thing about me: I don't measure myself by others' expectations or let others define my worth."

- Sonia Sotomayor

Self-esteem

More Adversity Quotes

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"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

- Joshua J. Marine

Adversity

"The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it."

- Epicurus

Adversity

"It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness."

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Adversity

"The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself—the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us—that’s where it’s at."

- Jesse Owens

Adversity

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."

- Frederick Douglass

Adversity