Sonia Sotomayor Quotes

I've always had to prove myself to people growing up. I had to show them that I could do this and I could do that and paying no mind to what the critics said.

When I hear people say that they don't think that I can do something or they don't think I belong somewhere, that's all it takes for me to prove them wrong, and it's motivation.

That's something that drives me on - wanting to prove people wrong. Because the amount of people who have told me, 'no, you're not good enough.' A lot of people fall at that hurdle. But I just kept getting up and looking for that one person who said yes.

I have had this desire my whole life to prove people wrong, to show them I could do things they didn't think I could do.

All my life people have said that I wasn't going to make it.

I was proud of 'Robin Hood,' even though critics wrote negative things. But I had to laugh when this big, shaven-headed Hungarian stunt guy first saw me. He said, 'You Jonas? You playing Robin Hood? You need to go to the gym today.' So I thought, 'I'm going to show people.'

My job, my whole life, I've always had that kind of doubter, people have always doubted me. And I don't know how I would succeed without it. So I welcome it, and it gives me a challenge, and I will see if I can live up to my challenge.

I love it when people doubt me. It makes me work harder to prove them wrong.

I was told I would become nothing. Now I am showing people how big nothing is.

My dad didn't believe that I was going to make it through school, and that was the only thing I was determined to do, because he said that I wasn't going to do it.

I've really fought to get into rooms, and I'm a big believer in auditioning. It's hard, because I'm insecure, but I have an intense desire to prove myself to people.

Something I've learned is that when people tell me I can't do something, I immediately wonder why and then think it through. It only makes me more motivated to prove them wrong.

My entire life, people have told me that I couldn't do certain things. They told me I couldn't go to college. They told me I couldn't go to Yale, Georgetown, couldn't end up doing much on Capitol Hill. Couldn't be party chair. And my response has always been, 'Watch me.'

Everybody told us we would never make it. Even friends would say to me, 'Okay this band thing is cool, but seriously, what are you really going to do?' I can't think of anyone who believed in us, and that was fuel for the fire, because the more anybody said I wouldn't do it, the more I was like, 'No, I'm going to do it.'

A lot of people underestimated me, and I'm used to that.

I think every player hits a little bit of doubt. But if you are strong, you are supposed to be strong mentally because that's our job and you know what you can do. So you are like, 'A'ight cool, I'ma be all right. I'm going to figure this out.'

I like being the underdog. I like turning around and shutting people up when they tell me I can't.

I've been a guy that everyone has counted out over the years as an undersized four-man. I've always been doubted.

I've thrived on people writing me off. Because if you write me off, I'll shut you up.

If people keep telling you you can't do a thing, then you need to find a really good reason to continue. If someone tells you you can't do something, how will you know? If someone tells you something is impossible, how will you know?

People said I wouldn't be in the NBA. People said I wouldn't be a starting center, this, that and the other. I just prove people wrong.

I feel every time I score I prove people wrong. People doubt me all the time. They do that to all players but for me it's, 'He's too slow, he's too old.' It annoys those people every time I score and it drives me on.

I never listened to people who said I wasn't going to make it.

Northern Arizona was a job no one had ever survived, and a lot of people said I was crazy to take it. But to build a program and win there gave me a lot of confidence when people said we couldn't do it at Pitt.

There's a lot of people that hate on me, but I'm really willing to prove 'em wrong.