I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
Sonia SotomayorRead
In examining witnesses, I learned to ask general questions so as to elicit details with powerful sensory associations: the colors, the sounds, the smells that lodge an image in the mind and put the listener in the burning house.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions to draw vivid details from witnesses, enhancing their narratives.
Sonia Sotomayor's quote highlights a crucial skill in effective communication and inquiry — the ability to formulate general questions that encourage witnesses to provide rich, sensory details. By doing so, one can create a compelling narrative that not only conveys information but also immerses the listener into the experience, making the details more memorable and impactful.
Themes
WitnessesQuestionsDetailsCommunicationSensoryNarrative
In practice
Example use cases
In a courtroom setting, a lawyer might use this quote to emphasize the importance of effective questioning.
More from Sonia Sotomayor
All quotes →This wealth of experiences, personal and professional, have helped me appreciate the variety of perspectives that present themselves in every case that I hear.
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I was fifteen years old when I understood how it is that things break down: people can't imagine someone else's point of view.
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The truth is that since childhood I had cultivated an existential independence. It came from perceiving the adults around me as unreliable, and without it I felt I wouldn't have survived. I cared deeply for everyone in my family, but in the end I depended on myself.
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As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.
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There are uses to adversity, and they don't reveal themselves until tested. Whether it's serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths.
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