Anita Hill Quotations

One of the things I was taught in law school is that I'd never be able to think the same again - that being a lawyer is something that's part of who I am as an individual now.

I'm not sure I can say there is a clean line between me as an individual and me as a lawyer.

I resent the idea that people would blame the messenger for the message, rather than looking at the content of the message itself.

It would have been more comfortable to remain silent.

I did what my conscience told me to do, and you can't fail if you do that.

We have a history of gender and racial bias on our court that continues to undermine the system. Excluding individuals based on race is antagonistic to the pursuit of justice.

I have no personal vendetta against Clarence Thomas. I seek only to provide the committee with information which it may regard as relevant

The real problem is that the way that power is given out in our society pits us against each other.

I became the messenger who had to be killed

Testifying has helped me understand that one individual's behavior and actions make a difference. That my actions are important to people other than myself

Certainly my life will not ever be as private and discreet, and perhaps I should even use the word insulated, as it was before

During this period at the Department of Education, my working relationship with Judge Thomas was positive.

I think, though, as African-American women, we are always trained to value our community even at the expense of ourselves, and so we attempt to protect the African-American community.

If you think about the way the hearings were structured, the hearings were really about Thomas' race and my gender.

Telling the world is the most difficult experience of my life, but it is very close to having to live through the experience that occasion this meeting.

What we really need to be understanding is that all of these things matter and they all stem from the fact that certain people live with power and authority and they want to maintain it

In July of 1983, I left Washington, DC area and have had minimal contact with Judge Clarence Thomas since

The FBI has had a history of sex discrimination complaints brought against it, as well as race discrimination

When I think of what has happened in a larger sense, beyond myself, then I would not change anything.

What I wanted was for everyone listening to understand that these things mattered - not necessarily for me, but in this particular forum they mattered in terms of whether of not we were getting a person who should sit on the Supreme Court.

I thought that by saying no and explaining my reasons my employer would abandon his social suggestions. However, to my regret, in the following few weeks, he continued to ask me out on several occasions

I was aware, however, that telling at any point in my career could adversely affect my future career

The experience of testifying and the aftermath have changed my life

But I think it would be irresponsible for me not to say what I really believe in my heart to be true - that there are some serious inequities that we face as women and that we can work to address these inequities

For my undergraduate work, I went to Oklahoma State University and graduated from there in 1977

Because I was extremely uncomfortable talking about sex with him at all and particularly in such a graphic way, I told him that I did not want to talk about these subjects.

I am really proud to be a part in whatever way of women becoming active in the political scene. I think it was the first time that people came to terms with the reality of what it meant to have a Senate made up of 98 men and two women.

My parents are older, and they lead a somewhat sheltered life. It was difficult to talk with them about things that were embarrassing to me, and that I had never spoken to them about

Well, of course it was a very trying time for me, and fortunately I had a lot of people who were supportive. A lot of people who were writing and calling and saying they were praying for me. Some people sent me Scripture, and that helped.

Whether the person you are playing is real or fictional, you try to go to the heart of that person.

My childhood was one of a lot of hard work and not much money, but it was one of solid family affection, as represented by my parents.

Why was it important to come forward? ... I felt that he showed a personal indifference to the issue in his own behavior. But more importantly I thought it showed how he dealt with issues of power generally and his use of power -- in terms of intimidating me, and as it turns out other women on his staff. And how he viewed women generally, which would impact his role as a Supreme Court Justice as it had impacted his role as the chairman of the EEOC,

Well, they've caused me to realize that as an individual I have a lot of responsibility, certainly, but that now I have even more responsibility.

I am hopeful that others who have suffered sexual harassment will not become discouraged by my experience, but instead will find the strength to speak out about this serious problem.

calls for equal treatment are often seen as calls for 'special treatment' in situations where discrimination has become the norm.

We've got to understand that all disenfranchised people have something in common...The pursuit of justice really is about equality for everyone.

You can't always expect a certain result, but you can expect to do your best.

I see myself as an educator.

I have - often say to people that you really don't get to decide your own legacy. I mean, what you do is, you try to be your own authentic self. And then people decide how they're going to interpret that and what it means to them.

Whether we call it a job or a career, work is more than just something we do. It is a part of who we are.

If I can mean to people - if I can symbolize the ability to pursue gender equality, racial equality, and to be truthful about our experiences, then, absolutely, that's what I want to be.

I work every day to live up to my mother's model. She was a very proud woman. And she really prepared me to go off into the world as a proud daughter.

I think there's more support today. I think there's better understanding today. And there's a better appreciation for the fact that if any community is going to prosper, if any community is going to be seen at its best, that the women in that community have to be viewed as equally as important as the men. And [women] have to be able to live outside of boundaries that are placed on them because of their gender. As well as their race or their religion.

But the issue of sexual harassment is not the end of it. There are other issues - political issues, gender issues - that people need to be educated about.

we need to turn the question around to look at the harasser, not the target. We need to be sure that we can go out and look anyone who is a victim of harassment in the eye and say, 'You do not have to remain silent anymore.

But the issue of sexual harassment is not the end of it. There are other issues - political issues, gender issues - that people need to be educated about.

What ultimately kept me sane was that so much of what was going on was insane. What I had done was the honest, the right and the correct thing to do.

We are very much moved by what we've seen, and many of us are seeking answers and trying to organize our thoughts,

As a rule, automatic and self-serve are two different clients, and they don't cross very often. The young people tend to do it themselves.

Automatic car washes have grown tremendously because educated people know that it takes 100 gallons of water to wash it in the driveway and 16 gallons at the car wash.

I'm not sure even what happened between her and the president, but it's not unheard of for individuals who have had these kinds of sexual encounters to continue relationships or to continue working relationships with the individuals who have done these things to them,

I felt that all of those things were relevant for the Senate to consider, just as they had considered many other ways he had handled himself, many other issues in terms of how he had done his job as the chair of the EEOC. And so I felt that it was very relevant and very important for their consideration.