Cecile Richards Quotes

Unless the great majority of Americans not only have, but believe they have, a fair chance, the better American future will be dangerously compromised.

I think this country is genuinely a meritocracy.

Democrats believe in reigniting the American dream by removing barriers to success and building ladders of opportunity for all, so everyone can succeed.

Really, what education does is it gives opportunity, but it also gives hope.

Mitt Romney subscribes to the cynical logic that says the American dream belongs to some of us but not all of us.

I don't think anybody can claim success at any part of our lives, private or professional, if there are others that don't enjoy the same opportunities.

Education brings about opportunity, and in turn inspiration.

From exam grading to health education to professional training to democratic participation, paths towards self-realization and success in the world are often daunting and obscure: journeys only the privileged feel confident setting off along.

Our country has become the land of opportunity to those born without inheritance.

We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.

The wealthy have a responsibility to invest in addressing inequality. This is especially true when constraints on others are so great.

People are beginning to realize that education is power, that education is money, that education is an opportunity.

Whatever we do, whatever our backgrounds, we've all had some kind of advantage somewhere along the way. Some break that might have gone to someone else. Some edge or inside track we couldn't have counted on.

America is a meritocracy.

My brother and sister are smarter than me. But I'm the most successful because I've been given opportunities that they never had.

I have been so blessed not only to talk about things that I want to talk about in my industry, but also to have a platform - and people want to hear about it.

Some young people can rely on a privileged background and great connections to get work experience, but I don't believe anybody can be guaranteed success nowadays.

I've been lucky to be born in Spain to a good family. But some team-mates reached the same position from a tough background. Football is equal, and it doesn't matter where you come from.

I won't stop until every Iowan has an opportunity to succeed.

It doesn't matter where you're from. You can be from the hood or the suburbs. You can be poor with no education or a college graduate. No matter your background, you can win.

Equality of opportunity is meaningless for those who do not have the capabilities to take advantage of it.

My grandmother instilled in me two important lessons: I was just as good as anyone else, and education was my salvation. Fortunately, I was able to get scholarships to excellent schools, but I was one of the lucky ones. All of this is what draws me to anti-poverty organizations like Oxfam.

A meritocracy is a system in which the people who are the luckiest in their health and genetic endowment; luckiest in terms of family support, encouragement and, probably, income; luckiest in their educational and career opportunities; and luckiest in so many other ways difficult to enumerate - these are the folks who reap the largest rewards.

The more privilege you have, the more opportunity you have. The more opportunity you have, the more responsibility you have.

Get really rich and then help the people who didn't have the opportunity you did.