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Barbara Jordan Quotes

Powerful Barbara Jordan for Daily Growth

About Barbara Jordan

Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) was an American politician, attorney, and educator, renowned for her powerful oratory skills, intellectual prowess, and unwavering commitment to justice and equality. Born on February 21, 1936, in Houston, Texas, Jordan grew up in a working-class family with strong roots in the African American community. Her parents instilled in her a love for learning and a deep sense of social responsibility from an early age. Jordan earned her Bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University before going on to study law at Boston University. Upon graduation, she returned to Houston to practice law. In 1966, Jordan was elected to the Texas Senate, where she served until her election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972. She became the first African American and first southern woman to deliver the keynote address at a Democratic National Convention in 1976. Jordan's political career was marked by her fierce advocacy for civil rights, economic justice, and national security. She played a key role in the impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon and was instrumental in the passage of the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982. Despite facing numerous health challenges, Jordan remained active in politics until her death from pancreatic cancer in 1996. Jordan's legacy continues to inspire today. Her words, such as "What the people of this country want is not just equal justice under the law; they want equal justice above the law," continue to resonate and guide those who strive for a more equitable society.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"What the people expect from us is that we be courageous enough to grapple with the problems and difficult issues that confront us."

Barbara Jordan's quote emphasizes a call to action for leaders and decision-makers, encouraging them to approach complex and challenging matters with bravery and determination. In essence, she underscores the importance of facing problems head-on, rather than shying away from them or avoiding difficult discussions. The message encourages courage in the pursuit of finding solutions and addressing the needs of society.

"It is essential that there be a representation of all of the people in the political structure."

Barbara Jordan's quote emphasizes the importance of equal representation for every individual within the political structure. In a democracy, it is crucial that the diversity of society is reflected in the decision-making bodies. This principle ensures that the interests, perspectives, and needs of all citizens are considered, fostering a more inclusive and equitable system where everyone has an opportunity to participate and contribute to the common good.

"Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must be engaged in, the political struggle that goes on in the streets of every city, in the factories, in the offices and in the fields."

Barbara Jordan's quote emphasizes that freedom is not a static state but an ongoing process and active struggle for equality. It suggests that freedom requires continuous engagement and effort from everyone, regardless of their location or profession. This struggle takes place in various settings – streets, workplaces, offices, fields – symbolizing the fight for justice should be omnipresent in our society. The quote implies that freedom demands constant vigilance, as it is not a destination to arrive at but a journey to be continually embarked upon.

"The greatest threat to freedom is the lack of understanding of freedom—of its essence, the ideal it represents and its importance to the continued existence of a free society."

Barbara Jordan's quote suggests that a major risk to the preservation of individual freedoms lies in the general public's insufficient comprehension of what freedom is, its core values, and why it's crucial for maintaining a free society. In simpler terms, she implies that ignorance about freedom and its significance could lead to its erosion or loss. This insight underscores the importance of fostering education and awareness regarding individual liberties and their role in shaping democratic societies.

"We are here today because we know that our country can do better."

Barbara Jordan's statement "We are here today because we know that our country can do better" is a call to action, emphasizing the belief that despite the current state of affairs, America has the potential for improvement. It underscores a collective understanding among citizens that progress can be achieved through active participation and collective effort, expressing optimism in the ability of the nation to evolve towards greater equality, justice, and prosperity.

If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must produce.

- Barbara Jordan

Public, Public Officials, Propose

We call ourselves public servants but I'll tell you this: we as public servants must set an example for the rest of the nation. It is hypocritical for the public official to admonish and exhort the people to uphold the common good.

- Barbara Jordan

Rest, Nation, Set, Hypocritical

I think it no accident that most of those emigrating to America in the 19th century identified with the Democratic Party. We are a heterogeneous party made up of Americans of diverse backgrounds.

- Barbara Jordan

Think, Made, I Think, Backgrounds

There is no executive order; there is no law that can require the American people to form a national community. This we must do as individuals and if we do it as individuals, there is no President of the United States who can veto that decision.

- Barbara Jordan

Decision, Law, United States, No Law

More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required. We must hold ourselves strictly accountable. We must provide the people with a vision of the future.

- Barbara Jordan

More, Accountable, Ourselves, Strictly

What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance.

- Barbara Jordan

Balance, Government, Idea, Between

Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.

- Barbara Jordan

Society, Think, Lay, Nap

We have made mistakes. In our haste to do all things for all people, we did not foresee the full consequences of our actions. And when the people raised their voices, we didn't hear. But our deafness was only a temporary condition, and not an irreversible condition.

- Barbara Jordan

Temporary, Irreversible, Foresee

We are a party of innovation. We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we must. We are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future.

- Barbara Jordan

Innovation, Better Future, Traditions

I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally does not have, does not have it because he cannot have it. He's just incapable of it.

- Barbara Jordan

Which, I Believe That, Incapable

Let us heed the voice of the people and recognize their common sense. If we do not, we not only blaspheme our political heritage, we ignore the common ties that bind all Americans.

- Barbara Jordan

Voice, Sense, All Americans, Common Sense

But this is the great danger America faces. That we will cease to be one nation and become instead a collection of interest groups: city against suburb, region against region, individual against individual. Each seeking to satisfy private wants.

- Barbara Jordan

City, Nation, Private, Suburb

A government is invigorated when each of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nation.

- Barbara Jordan

Government, Participate, Shaping

Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment.

- Barbara Jordan

Education, Empowerment, Economic

There is no obstacle in the path of young people who are poor or members of minority groups that hard work and preparation cannot cure.

- Barbara Jordan

Work, Young, Groups, Obstacle

A nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good.

- Barbara Jordan

Common, Nation, Common Good, Formed

I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in 'We, the people.'

- Barbara Jordan

Through, Been, Amendment, None

In other times, I could stand here and give this kind of exposition on the beliefs of the Democratic Party and that would be enough. But today that is not enough. People want more.

- Barbara Jordan

Give, Here, Other, Enough People

Let's all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. They represent what this country is all about. They are indigenous to the American idea. And these are principles which are not negotiable.

- Barbara Jordan

Country, Which, Discarded, Represent

We must not become the new puritans and reject our society. We must address and master the future together. It can be done if we restore the belief that we share a sense of national community, that we share a common national endeavor. It can be done.

- Barbara Jordan

New, Restore, Address, Puritans

The imperative is to define what is right and do it.

- Barbara Jordan

Right, Define, Imperative

It is reason, and not passion, which must guide our deliberations, guide our debate, and guide our decision.

- Barbara Jordan

Debate, Reason, Which, Guide

Let there be no illusions about the difficulty of forming this kind of a national community. It's tough, difficult, not easy. But a spirit of harmony will survive in America only if each of us remembers that we share a common destiny.

- Barbara Jordan

Destiny, Harmony, Forming, Illusions

Throughout out history, when people have looked for new ways to solve their problems, and to uphold the principles of this nation, many times they have turned to political parties. They have often turned to the Democratic Party.

- Barbara Jordan

Nation, Turned, Uphold

We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation... but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America.

- Barbara Jordan

Larger, Attempting, Fulfill, Unemployment

Our concept of governing is derived from our view of people. It is a concept deeply rooted in a set of beliefs firmly etched in the national conscience, of all of us.

- Barbara Jordan

Conscience, Set, Firmly, Rooted

We must exchange the philosophy of excuse - what I am is beyond my control for the philosophy of responsibility.

- Barbara Jordan

I Am, Responsibility, Excuse, Philosophy

We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of a national community.

- Barbara Jordan

Future, Search, About, Present

We have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of America can one day be finally closed. We believe that.

- Barbara Jordan

One Day, Finally, Founded, Closed

One thing is clear to me: We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.

- Barbara Jordan

Clear, Willing, One Thing, Beings

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