My parents never thought I was going to grow up in a world without prejudice, but they also told me, ‘That’s somebody else's problem, not yours. You're going to overcome it, and you are going to be anything you want to be,' that’s the message that I think we ought to be sending to kids.

Condoleezza Rice

We need to move beyond the idea that girls can be leaders and create the expectation that they should be leaders.

Condoleezza Rice

girl powerful moving

The sooner you learn that life is not fair, the better off you'll be, because you'll spend less time railing against life's unfairness and feeling aggrieved and entitled, and more time figuring out how to maximize your assets, and your talents and how to deal with things that you're not very good at.

Condoleezza Rice

very-good talent feelings

Great leaders never accept the world as it was and always work for the world as it should be

Condoleezza Rice

accepting leader world

The most important lesson I think I could impart is don't let anyone determine what your horizons are going to be. You get to determine those yourself. The only limitations are whatever particular talents you happen to have and how hard you're willing to work. And if you let others define who you ought to be, or what you ought to be because they put you in a category, they see your race, they see your gender and they put you in a category. You shouldn't let that happen.

Condoleezza Rice

important race thinking

If you're always in the company of people who agree with you, you're going to think of people who don't agree with you as venal or stupid. I constantly tell my students that if they're in the company of people who always say "amen" to what you say, find other company. And that is the source of illiberalism, when you are unable to listen to someone who thinks differently. That's when democracies are in trouble.

Condoleezza Rice

stupid people thinking

You might not be able to control your circumstances but you can control your response to your circumstances.

Condoleezza Rice

able circumstances might

Truly remarkable leadership is not just about motivating others to follow, it's about inspiring them to become leaders themselves and setting the stage for even greater opportunities for future generations.

Condoleezza Rice

generations leader opportunity

The first step for a leader is to be right with yourself. Integrity is the basis of leadership.

Condoleezza Rice

leader integrity firsts

Most days are not overwhelmingly successful in your life. And what really marks whether you're going to be successful is how well you deal with the bad days, not how well you deal with the good ones.

Condoleezza Rice

being-successful bad-day successful

Life is full of surprises and and serendipity. Being open to unexpected turns in the road is an important part of success. If you try to plan every step, you may miss those wonderful twists and turns. Just find your next adventure-do it well, enjoy it-and then, not now, think about what comes next.

Condoleezza Rice

loving-life adventure thinking

In America, with education and hard work, it really does not matter where you came from; it matters only where you are going.

Condoleezza Rice

hard-work doe america

The essence of America - that which really unites us - is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion - it is an idea - and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.

Condoleezza Rice

ethnicity essence humble

Self esteem comes from achievements. Not from lax standards and false praise.

Condoleezza Rice

achievement black self-esteem

I firmly believe you never should spend your time being the former anything.

Condoleezza Rice

time inspiring inspirational

The first Republican I knew was my father and he is still the Republican I most admire. He joined our party because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. The Republicans did. My father has never forgotten that day, and neither have I.

Condoleezza Rice

crow party father

You will make a difference in the world, but not immediately. Your first obligation is to find something you like doing, because if you like doing it, you'll do it well.

Condoleezza Rice

making-a-difference differences world

Education is of no value and talent is worthless - unless you have an unwavering aim. Never find yourself without a compass.

Condoleezza Rice

finding-yourself talent basketball

You know, I've never believed, in anything, that you had to have role models who looked like you to do something. If I'd been waiting for a black, female, soviet specialist role model, I'd be still waiting.

Condoleezza Rice

wisdom leadership work

Every life is capable of greatness.

Condoleezza Rice

capable greatness life-is

When somebody underestimated me, it made me want to prove them wrong.

Condoleezza Rice

prove-them-wrong made want