Janet Reno Quotes

Powerful Janet Reno for Daily Growth

About Janet Reno

Janet Reno, born on July 7, 1938, in Miami, Florida, was a trailblazing American attorney and politician who served as the first female Attorney General of the United States under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001. Reno grew up in a working-class family with Cuban roots. Her parents, Alphonse Reno, an insurance salesman, and Mimi Reno, a housewife, instilled strong values of education, integrity, and service in their children. Reno's interest in law was sparked during her time as a student at Cornell University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry, and later at Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude in 1963. Reno started her career as a prosecutor in Dade County, Florida, eventually rising to the position of State Attorney for Dade County in 1978, a role she held for 12 years before being appointed as U.S. Attorney by President Jimmy Carter. Reno's tenure as Attorney General was marked by her efforts to combat domestic violence, address gun control, and enforce civil rights laws. She is perhaps best known for the controversial Waco Siege in 1993 and the handling of the Unabomber case. Reno ran for Governor of Florida in 2002 but lost the Democratic primary election. After her political career, she continued to be involved in public service, education, and environmental causes. Reno passed away on November 7, 2016, at the age of 78. Her life and career serve as an inspiration for countless women pursuing careers in law and politics.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

This quote by Janet Reno emphasizes that life often takes unexpected turns, despite our best-laid plans or intentions. It encourages us to remain flexible and adaptable as we navigate through our lives, embracing the unexpected twists and turns that may arise along the way. In other words, while having goals and aspirations is important, it's equally essential to appreciate the serendipitous moments that life presents us with and make the most of those opportunities when they come our way.

"Don't interfere too much."

This quote by Janet Reno emphasizes the importance of non-interference or minimal intervention in certain situations. It suggests that sometimes, the best approach is to let things unfold naturally without imposing one's will excessively. This can apply to various aspects of life, from personal relationships to professional projects, and even global affairs. By avoiding unnecessary interference, we allow people, ideas, and events to evolve organically, which may lead to more authentic outcomes and the preservation of individuality and diversity. However, it's also essential to know when action is needed to prevent harm or promote justice.

"You have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. Tonight, I stand for the rule of law."

This quote by former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno emphasizes the importance of principles and values in decision-making. When one lacks a clear stance on what they believe in, they risk being swayed by anything that comes their way. In this context, "the rule of law" represents a fundamental principle of justice where every person, regardless of status or power, is subject to the same laws. Reno's statement underscores her commitment to upholding these principles and ensuring fairness and equality under the law.

"I did the best I could, in good faith, with the information I had at the time."

This quote by Janet Reno expresses a sense of personal responsibility and accountability. She acknowledges that she made decisions based on the knowledge available to her at the moment, suggesting transparency and integrity in her actions. The phrase "I did the best I could" implies an effort to act with diligence and competence, while "in good faith" signifies that her intentions were honest and well-meaning. This quote is a reminder that individuals should strive to make informed decisions, yet also recognize that they may not have access to all information or foresee the consequences of their actions in full.

"If you have a dream, you can spend your life chasing it, or you can make a living. But to make a life, you have to do something that matters more than money."

This quote emphasizes the importance of pursuing a meaningful purpose in life beyond financial gain. While one can spend their life seeking a dream (passion) or simply earning a livelihood, living a fulfilling life requires dedicating oneself to something that transcends monetary value. In other words, finding a sense of meaning and significance in our actions is crucial for leading a rich and satisfying existence.

I would like to use the law of this land to do everything I possibly can to protect America's children from abuse and violence and to give to each of them the opportunity to grow to be strong, healthy and self-sufficient citizens of this country.

- Janet Reno

Strong, Country, Abuse, Self-Sufficient

I think police officers can work with social workers and public health nurses to do so much in terms of addressing the problem of American families, of children in American families as a whole, and giving them an opportunity to get off to a fresh start, to become self-sufficient, to lead safe, constructive lives.

- Janet Reno

Police Officers, I Think, Self-Sufficient

We've got to make sure that the young, violent, serious juvenile offender is punished, that it's fair punishment, that it's punishment that fits the crime and that is understood and that is anticipated and expected.

- Janet Reno

Young, Violent, Sure, Punishment

It was not the president's responsibility to run a law enforcement operation. It was ours.

- Janet Reno

Responsibility, Law, Ours, Operation

I have learned that raising children is the single most difficult thing in the world to do. It takes hard work, love, luck, and a lot of energy, and it is the most rewarding experience that you can ever have.

- Janet Reno

Love, Luck, Rewarding, Most Difficult Thing

The good lawyer is the great salesman.

- Janet Reno

Good, Great, Legal, Salesman

I know from personal experience what it's like to be discriminated against. I remember people telling me, 'Ladies don't become lawyers,' and now I look at America and know what can be done.

- Janet Reno

Lawyers, I Remember, Telling, Ladies

My mother taught us to play baseball, to bake a cake, to play fair - she beat the living daylights out of us sometimes, and she loved us with all her heart; she taught her favorite poets, and there is no child care in the world that will ever be a substitute for what that lady was in our life.

- Janet Reno

Play, Fair, Sometimes, Bake

Everybody should want to make sure that we have the cyber tools necessary to investigate cyber crimes, and to be prepared to defend against them and to bring people to justice who commit it.

- Janet Reno

Necessary, Everybody, Sure, Cyber

I'm vitally interested in cyber crime and in preparing law enforcement for a time when crime is international in its origins and its consequences.

- Janet Reno

Law, Enforcement, Vitally, Cyber

I think lawyers who engage in pro bono service to protect those who cannot help themselves are truly the heroes and the heroines of the legal profession.

- Janet Reno

Think, I Think, Profession, Bono

When I went to law school, I had Roger Fisher for Civil Procedure. I never heard anything about negotiations.

- Janet Reno

Law, About, Had, Fisher

Let us develop an agenda for children that says we can do something about teen pregnancy. Let us make sure that parents are old enough, wise enough, and financially able to take care of their children.

- Janet Reno

Old, Sure, About, Pregnancy

There are those who profess to support law enforcement but who have attempted to undermine the efforts of hard-working officers who make difficult decisions.

- Janet Reno

Law, Undermine, Profess, Difficult Decisions

The keystone to justice is the belief that the legal system treats all fairly.

- Janet Reno

System, Treats, Fairly, Legal System

You are not going to put 100,000 police officers on the streets overnight and do the right job. To put them on the streets, to see that they're properly trained; you have to do it in an orderly way over a period of time.

- Janet Reno

Police Officers, Over, Orderly

It's fine to get paid and get a big verdict, but to go out and represent people, sometimes in unglamorous ways, is really what lawyering is all about.

- Janet Reno

Big, Sometimes, Go, Verdict

We must heal the divisions caused by intolerance and bigotry.

- Janet Reno

Intolerance, Must, Caused, Heal

We, the American people, owe the nation's police officers our deepest gratitude, our best efforts, and our strong support, for they have done so much for us against such great odds.

- Janet Reno

Strong, Police Officers, Odds

Schools can do extraordinary things given the chance; teachers can do remarkable things if we eliminate the paperwork that sometimes binds them and give them a chance to really teach in our schools.

- Janet Reno

Give, Binds, Given, Paperwork

We must try to understand the true weight of law enforcement officers' burdens.

- Janet Reno

Law, True, Law Enforcement, Burdens

What good is telling America's children that they will have equal opportunity for education if they don't have the skills that will even get them to the point of benefiting from education, because they didn't have the child care, the health care that would enable them to grow as strong and constructive human beings?

- Janet Reno

Education, Strong, Telling, Benefiting

U.S. attorneys have taught me a lot over the years, and in the Southern district of Florida, they have been to me partners.

- Janet Reno

Over, Southern, Lot, Attorneys

I want there to be a real partnership between the Department of Justice in Washington and U.S. attorneys.

- Janet Reno

Partnership, Want, Attorneys

In 1960, when I graduated from college, people told me a woman couldn't go to law school. And when I graduated from law school, people told me, 'Law firms won't hire you.'

- Janet Reno

Woman, College, Law, Law School

I made a promise to myself when I graduated from law school that I would never do anything that I didn't enjoy doing, and almost every day of the year since that June of 1963, I have awakened glad that I was going to work, glad that I was going to court, glad that I was going to grapple with a problem.

- Janet Reno

Doing, Year, Almost, Law School

It is the police of America who are on the front lines, who are on the streets, who are in the daily contact with American citizens, who translate the dreams of American citizens when they succeed and frustrate the dreams when they fail.

- Janet Reno

Streets, American Citizens, Frustrate

If you have a good community behind you and a good family supporting you, then, when the buck stops with you, there is the strength of that community and that family to draw upon.

- Janet Reno

Behind, Good Family, Then, Supporting

I'm humbled by the honor that President Clinton has done me in nominatinq me as Attorney General of the United States, and I'm going to do my very best to deserve his confidence.

- Janet Reno

Deserve, United States, Very, Attorney

While I'm the Attorney General, we will address each issue with one question: What's the right thing to do?

- Janet Reno

Question, Address, Issue, Attorney

Though the Attorney General of the United States carries many responsibilities and undertakes many tasks, there can be none more important than the pursuit of civil rights on behalf of all the people of this country.

- Janet Reno

Country, Pursuit, United, Attorney

I hope I will be a good Attorney General, but one of the things that will be as important to me is to know that I made a commitment to my family and honored it, a commitment that has been repaid 10,000 times over.

- Janet Reno

Will, Over, Been, Attorney

I had concluded when I was the prosecutor that I would vote against the death penalty if I were in the legislature but that I could ask for it when I was satisfied as to guilt.

- Janet Reno

Death, Guilt, Death Penalty, Legislature

The first job I ever had in my life was in the Dade County Sheriff's Office in the Identification Bureau in the summer that I graduated from high school and was getting ready to go to college.

- Janet Reno

College, My Life, County, Sheriff

We tried our best for the longest time to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the matter, and at each step, we were thwarted by those that said, No, we will not turn the boy over to his father.

- Janet Reno

Over, Negotiate, Longest, Thwarted

The Justice Department is staunchly committed to ensuring that all Americans are treated in a fair and just manner.

- Janet Reno

Fair, Treated, All Americans, Justice Department

I want to make sure there are no gatekeepers at the AG's door, and that anybody in the Department - they may have to come relatively late in the evening, just judging by the schedules to date - but if somebody has suggestions for how to make this a better department, that they know I am available.

- Janet Reno

Door, Date, Anybody, Department

While service in the Department of Justice is itself one of the highest forms of public service, the Department further strides to increase access to justice for all and to strengthen our communities.

- Janet Reno

Access, While, Strides, Department

What has too often happened in the past is that people have threatened punishment but have failed to carry it out. It's imperative in any initiative that is undertaken that punishment be real and that there be truth in sentencing, and that the truly dangerous offenders - the recidivists and the career criminals - be put away and kept away.

- Janet Reno

Career, Away, Sentencing, Offenders

We have initiated programs for re-entry offenders, since some 500,000 to 600,000 offenders will come out of prison each year for the next three or four years. We want to have positive alternatives when they come back to the community.

- Janet Reno

Next, Some, Initiated, Offenders

I admire law enforcement agents who put their lives on the line to enforce the law while building trust and understanding within a community and around the world. I honor those who seek justice for all the people of this country.

- Janet Reno

Trust, Country, Line, Enforce

I want to do what I can to make the law make sense to citizens and businesses alike. I want the laws to assist them in worthwhile endeavors, not to stand as bureaucratic obstacles.

- Janet Reno

Law, Laws, Endeavors, Businesses

We recognize that violence is a learned behavior. One of the best classrooms for learning violence is in the home.

- Janet Reno

Learning, Best, Learned, Classrooms

We want to look at everything we can do that's right and proper under federal law, and with federal laws to see that the children of America are given a chance to grow as strong, constructive, healthy human beings. It's the best investment we can possibly make in America.

- Janet Reno

Strong, Best, Proper, Possibly

I have been surrounded by some of the smartest, brightest, most caring lawyers, by agents who are willing to risk their lives for others, by support staff that are willing to work as hard as they can.

- Janet Reno

Legal, Some, Been, Agents

We're building on an international network with many others for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are so many things we can do to carry forward policies.

- Janet Reno

Forward, Policies, Passage, International

If you disagree with me about a position I have taken, or what I've done, tell me, argue with me, debate. Sometimes, right and good are not that clear; at other times, it is only deliberate and respectful debate that leads us to understand what road we should take.

- Janet Reno

Sometimes, Tell, Other, Respectful

Under a death penalty statute that is going to stand up to constitutional muster, you look at the aggravating circumstances and the mitigating circumstances.

- Janet Reno

Death Penalty, Aggravating, Muster

I think young people can make such an extraordinarily important difference in making this world a better place.

- Janet Reno

Think, Making, I Think, Extraordinarily

Being a lawyer is not merely a vocation. It is a public trust, and each of us has an obligation to give back to our communities.

- Janet Reno

Trust, Give, Back, Communities

All lawyers are going to have to - if we really want to attain civil justice - address the issue of how complicated we have made the laws: what we have done to ensnarl the American people in bureaucratic rules and regulations that make access to services or compliance with the law sometimes difficult, if not impossible.

- Janet Reno

Lawyers, Sometimes, Access, Bureaucratic

My earnest hope is that what we started in terms of building partnerships with communities across America will continue, that we will continue our efforts to reduce crime and violence.

- Janet Reno

Will, Started, Reduce, Communities

Anybody that thought that I tried to protect the president has forgotten that I asked for the expansion of the Monica Lewinsky matter.

- Janet Reno

Thought, Anybody, Monica, None

I think that a woman's right to choose should be protected. I think it should be protected from physical conduct that prevents that right to choose from being freely exercised.

- Janet Reno

Woman, Think, I Think, Freely

What we must do is to sit down together as reasonable people and make our government do what is right, and stop doing what may be wrong-headed or wasteful.

- Janet Reno

Doing, Reasonable, May, Sit

A street criminal can steal only what he can carry, but with a stroke of a pen, the dialing of a telephone or the pushing of a computer key, the white collar criminal can and does steal billions.

- Janet Reno

Collar, Steal, Billions, Criminal

Too many Americans mistrust their government. And unnecessary government secrecy feeds this mistrust.

- Janet Reno

Government, Mistrust, Too, Feeds

Lawyers are very important people to me.

- Janet Reno

Important, Lawyers, Very, Important People

I'm interested in elder justice and what we can do about elder abuse and neglect.

- Janet Reno

Justice, Abuse, About, Elder

The Bar Association can do so much in teaching people how to resolve conflicts without knives and guns and fists.

- Janet Reno

Resolve, Guns, Fists, Conflicts

One of the problems in America is that everybody focuses on their own narrow little bit of the problem without connecting punishment and prevention together, without connecting the schools and the police together, without connecting the pediatricians and the social workers together.

- Janet Reno

Own, Social, Everybody, Prevention

My father was born in Denmark. He came to this country when he was 12 years old.

- Janet Reno

Father, Country, Old, Denmark

I would like to visit with people who are so interesting and so... and there are so many wonderful people out there that I would love to have the chance to talk to for a longer time.

- Janet Reno

Love, Chance, Like, Visit

I just don't like greedy, indifferent, selfish lawyers. And there are not that many of them.

- Janet Reno

Selfish, Lawyers, Like, Indifferent

This is a beautiful country. Each of us has a favorite river, a mountain, just a patch of sky for some of us. I want to use the law to make sure that the waters, the land, and the skies of this nation are protected.

- Janet Reno

Country, Nation, Some, Patch

We simply must find ways both to bridge the differences that still seem to divide us and focus on the things that we share.

- Janet Reno

Focus, Differences, Still, Bridge

I think one of the keys to any crime-prevention program that's got to be developed is to focus on punishment - to let people know that there is a sanction and a punishment for hurting others.

- Janet Reno

Think, I Think, Keys, Hurting

Diversity is valued, and it is prized. We learn to appreciate each other and each other's struggles. From diversity, we draw our enormous and our lasting strength.

- Janet Reno

Strength, Other, Prized, Struggles

One of the reasons I love the law is because I was raised in family - my grandfather was a lawyer, but more importantly, my grandmother was his secretary. And she taught me that lawyers were some of the most civil, most courteous - and in those days, most courtly - people that she knew.

- Janet Reno

Love, Some, Reasons, Lawyer

As a child, I wanted to be a lawyer because I thought lawyers and the law were wonderful. But they are more wonderful, I think, than I had thought.

- Janet Reno

Think, Lawyers, I Think, Lawyer

Most lawyers aren't trial lawyers. Most lawyers, even trial lawyers, don't get their problems solved in a courtroom. We like to go to court. It seems heroic to go to court. We think we're the new, great advocates, better than anything we've seen on TV, and we come home exhilarated by having gone to court.

- Janet Reno

Lawyers, TV, Solved, Courtroom

It helps to know how to lose. You know it is not the end of the world, and you pick yourself up and move ahead.

- Janet Reno

Lose, Ahead, Move, Helps

We must honor, protect and support our police officers and their families every day of the year.

- Janet Reno

Honor, Police Officers, Year, Protect

There may sometimes be a mistake, but I think that the citizens of America who are sworn to uphold their duty in a jury setting are going to try to do their best to do that regardless of the consequences.

- Janet Reno

Mistake, Think, I Think, Uphold

I love lawyers. And I like to talk to lawyers, and I like to engage in a spirited discussion with lawyers.

- Janet Reno

Love, Lawyers, I Love, Engage

The lawyers who really begin to address the problems of their clients address them without recourse to our courts, although that recourse is absolutely essential in providing leverage.

- Janet Reno

Lawyers, Leverage, Providing, Problems

I think the answer to civil disorder in America, the answer to police problems in America, the answer to jail overcrowding and all the problems that we see is - the one answer is that government must go back to its people.

- Janet Reno

Think, Go, I Think, Problems

Peer mediation is a chance for students to work with other students to help them resolve problems, arguments, disagreements without having to get the teacher or the administration involved.

- Janet Reno

Chance, Other, Having, Problems

Our challenge is to remind ourselves that we do have common interest, common grounds, and common dreams.

- Janet Reno

Common, Interest, Grounds, Remind

Unless the law issues from all of the people, some of the people will feel left out. They will come to feel alienated. They will be angry. And this will not be a cohesive democracy.

- Janet Reno

Law, Will, Some, Alienated

I just try to do my best and make the best judgments I can.

- Janet Reno

Best, Try, Just, Judgments

I get accused of being a social worker every now and then.

- Janet Reno

Now, Get, Social, Now And Then

Until the day I die, or until the day I can't think anymore, I want to be involved in the issues that I care about.

- Janet Reno

Die, Think, Want, I Care

Simply put, if we can reduce the risk while increasing protection during the course of a young person's life, we can prevent problems and promote the healthy development of our children, our families, our economy, and the institutions we hold dear.

- Janet Reno

Protection, Young, While, Increasing

I collected child support in Dade County, and they wrote a rap song about me, so the kids knew about it, and they started asking me questions about child support. What happens if she wastes the money? What happens if he doesn't pay? And I answered the questions.

- Janet Reno

Asking, Wastes, County, Child Support

I think, clearly, where you have a situation in which the Solicitor General tells me, 'I cannot in good faith argue a certainly legal position,' and if the president told us to argue that position, we would have to tell him, 'No, we can't do that, Mr. President.'

- Janet Reno

Faith, Tell, I Think, Situation

I think that affirmative action programs can be very important.

- Janet Reno

Think, Important, Very, Affirmative

We've got to understand that the ages of zero to three are the most formative years of a person's life, the time they learn the concept of reward and punishment and develop a conscience, and that 50 percent of all learned human response is learned in the first year of life.

- Janet Reno

Year, Conscience, Concept, Response

We cannot forget the need to use the law as a shield, but we must remember other forces of the law.

- Janet Reno

Remember, Forget, Shield, Forces

I'm not fancy. I'm what I appear to be.

- Janet Reno

Fancy, Appear

We've got to look to our educational programs and focus on doing what we can to stem violence in the schools.

- Janet Reno

Doing, Educational, Schools, Stem

One of the most important parts of my life has been community.

- Janet Reno

My Life, Important, Most, Parts

Juveniles as well as adults need to know they're going to be punished for their violent acts.

- Janet Reno

Need, Going, Violent, Punished

America, in all its institutions, whether it be the family or government, has forgotten and neglected its children.

- Janet Reno

Government, Institutions, Neglected

Each generation looks to its children to keep our society moving and to make life better.

- Janet Reno

Generation, Looks, Better, Moving

I love good and caring lawyers who are advocates, who are defenders, who are problem-solvers, and who are peacemakers.

- Janet Reno

Love, Caring, I Love, Advocate

I would like to explore and see this country. I have had so many opportunities to see it from the air! I would like to climb the mountains that I wished I could climb at the time but had to get back to Washington.

- Janet Reno

Mountains, Explore, Country, Opportunities

Stereotypes should never influence policy or public opinion.

- Janet Reno

Never, Stereotypes, Public, Opinion

If somebody thinks I have an integrity problem, then the honest thing to do is to tell me what they think it is and let me address it.

- Janet Reno

Think, Tell, Address, Thinks

If the end brings me out right, what people said about me won't make any difference, and if the end brings me out wrong, 10 angels saying I was right won't make any difference.

- Janet Reno

People, Right, About, Angels

We want to continue the efforts against domestic violence and spread the drug courts, and develop real effective means of providing treatment for drug abusers without having to have them arrested.

- Janet Reno

Means, Treatment, Providing, Violence

The law as a profession has provided me with more satisfaction than I ever dreamed.

- Janet Reno

Law, Profession, Ever, Satisfaction

The president really shouldn't be involved in terms of dictating what course the investigation should take.

- Janet Reno

Take, Involved, Terms, Investigation

Sometimes we're tone-deaf in Washington, and we listen only to ourselves. We do not hear the cry of people who want answers, want action, want protection, and have some darn good ideas as to how to provide it if only we would listen.

- Janet Reno

Want, Sometimes, Some, Washington

I didn't like the Feds coming to town when I was in Miami, telling me what to do. I didn't like them coming to town and thinking that they knew more about Miami than I do.

- Janet Reno

Like, Town, Telling, Miami

Do and act on what you believe to be right, and you'll wake up the next morning feeling good about yourself.

- Janet Reno

Next, About, Next Morning, Feeling Good

I was personally opposed to the death penalty, and yet I think I have probably asked for the death penalty more than most people in the United States.

- Janet Reno

Think, United States, Asked

Police and prosecutors and the courts have got to talk together.

- Janet Reno

Talk, Got, Courts, Police

A cop by themselves on every corner is not going to make that much difference.

- Janet Reno

Themselves, Going, Corner, Cop

I worked with some wonderful people, tried my best and I feel comfortable.

- Janet Reno

Some, Tried, Worked, Comfortable

Draw great strength from your family and give in turn to those who come after you.

- Janet Reno

Strength, Give, Come, Draw

We're all in this together, and we all have to make an investment in our most precious possession and in the foundation of our future: our young people.

- Janet Reno

Investment, Precious, Young, Possession

I think our young people are our most precious possession.

- Janet Reno

Think, Young People, Most, Possession

In 1960, I earned my Chemistry Degree from Cornell University.

- Janet Reno

Chemistry, University, Earned

Young people have such tremendous energy.

- Janet Reno

People, Young, Young People, Tremendous

There is so much to do, and I want to continue my efforts.

- Janet Reno

Want, Much, Efforts, Continue

I'm a scuba diver but not certified.

- Janet Reno

Certified, Scuba

People should look at the government as 'us,' not as 'them' and not in terror.

- Janet Reno

Government, Should, Them, Terror

At this moment I do not have a personal relationship with a computer.

- Janet Reno

Relationship, Personal, Computer

What makes our country unique is its commitment to being open, to making its leaders accountable.

- Janet Reno

Country, Making, Accountable, Leaders

The law is very special to me.

- Janet Reno

Law, Me, Very, Special

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