A generation earlier, I think that somebody from my background probably would not have felt fully comfortable at a college like Princeton. But, by the time I graduated from high school, things had changed. Samuel Alito More Quotes by Samuel Alito More Quotes From Samuel Alito I have been committed to carrying out my duties... in accordance with both the letter and spirit of all applicable rules of ethics and canons of conduct. Samuel Alito spiritfeetletters If settled means that it cant be re-examined, thats one thing. If settled means that it is a precedent that is entitled to respect then it is a precedent that is protected. Samuel Alito protectedprecedentmean You want us to step in and render a decision based on an assessment of the effects of this institution which is newer than cellphones or the Internet? Samuel Alito assessmentgaymean A judge can't have any preferred outcome in any particular case. The judge's only obligation - and it's a solemn obligation - is to the rule of law. Samuel Alito umpiresjudginglaw I have been a judge for 15 years and I've made up my own mind during all that time. Samuel Alito judgingmindyears I want to commend the [Federalist] Society for bringing together the best minds from right, left, and center to debate the most pressing legal issues of the day. Samuel Alito issuesmindtogether Many people have been positive influences in my life. My parents, whom I mentioned, were the most important, but many of my teachers were also a big help to me. Samuel Alito parentteacherpeople All of my grandparents came to the United States from Italy during the early years of the 20th century. I believe that my grandparents came here to take advantage of the opportunities furnished by a growing country with an open society. Samuel Alito opportunitybelievecountry In southern Italy, where my grandparents had lived, there were few opportunities. The society was static, with rigid social classes. Poor people, like my grandparents, had little chance to improve their lives, no matter their talents or willingness to work. Samuel Alito southern-italyclassopportunity My grandparents came worked hard, and I believe they never regretted their decision to come here and make a new start. Samuel Alito grandparentdecisionbelieve As I mentioned, things were particularly hard during the Depression. My paternal grandfather was frequently out of work, and the family was evicted from their home. Samuel Alito hardgrandfatherhome My parents grew up in poor families where little English was spoken, they both went to college and became teachers. They believed that anything was possible with hard work, and they particularly stressed the importance of education. They instilled that same belief in my sister and me. Samuel Alito hard-workcollegeteacher My mother worked for more than a decade before marrying. She went to New York City to get a master's degree. And she continued to work as a teacher and a principal until she was forced to retire.Both she and my father instilled in my sister and me a deep love of learning. Samuel Alito new-yorkmotherteacher I attended the public schools.And I have happy memories and strong memories of those days and good memories of the good sense and the decency of my friends and my neighbors. Samuel Alito strongmemoriesschool My mother is a first generation American. Her father worked in the Roebling Steel Mill in Trenton, New Jersey.And yet my mother became the first person in her family to get a college degree. Samuel Alito collegemotherfather This was a time of great intellectual excitement for me. Both college and law school opened up new worlds of ideas. Samuel Alito collegelawschool It was a time of turmoil at colleges and universities. And I saw some very smart people and very privileged people behaving irresponsibly. And I couldn't help making a contrast between some of the worst of what I saw on the campus and the good sense and the decency of the people back in my own community. Samuel Alito smartcollegepeople It's been a great honor for me to spend my career in public service. Samuel Alito public-servicecareershonor I can still remember the day, as an assistant U.S. attorney, when I stood up in court for the first time and I proudly said, "My name is Samuel Alito and I represent the United States in this court." It was a great honor for me to have the United States as my client during all of those years. Samuel Alito honornamesyears I've learned a lot during my years on the 3rd Circuit, particularly, I think, about the way in which a judge should go about the work of judging. I've learned by doing, by sitting on all of these cases. And I think I've also learned from the examples of some really remarkable colleagues. Samuel Alito judgingyearsthinking
