Thurgood Marshall was the first Black justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. He was instrumental in shaping American civil rights, arguing and winning the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954, which ended legal segregation in public schools. As one of the country’s greatest civil rights attorneys, he spent decades using the Constitution and the courts to challenge segregation and advance equal rights for all Americans.
Our Quote of the Day comes from Marshall, whose lifelong belief was that justice and equality belong to everyone. As his former law clerk and legal scholar Paul Gewirtz wrote, “To do what he did required a heroic imagination… [he had] the courage and ability to make that imagined world real.”
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Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 2, 1908, Marshall entered the world on the very same calendar date that, 56 years later, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would be signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The landmark legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, making July 2 a date forever tied to both one of America’s most important civil rights laws and one of the movement’s most influential leaders.
In 1930, because of segregation, the Lincoln University graduate was denied admission to the University of Maryland Law School. Undeterred, he attended Howard University School of Law and graduated at the top of his class. While Marshall did not write or sign the Civil Rights Act, his legal victories helped make it possible.
As chief counsel for the NAACP, Marshall spent more than two decades challenging segregation and racial discrimination in courts across the country. His greatest triumph came in Brown v. Board of Education, when he successfully argued before the Supreme Court that “separate but equal” public schools were inherently unequal and unconstitutional. That decision dismantled the legal foundation of Jim Crow laws and established constitutional principles that paved the way for Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act a decade later. By the time the law was signed, Marshall had become the U.S. Solicitor General, where he defended the federal government’s civil rights policies before the Supreme Court.
Marshall’s influence extended far beyond a single courtroom victory. In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him as the first Black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, where he served for nearly a quarter century. Throughout his career, he remained a passionate advocate for equal protection under the law and for the belief that the Constitution should protect the rights of every American. Whether remembered for his historic courtroom victories, his groundbreaking service on the nation’s highest court, or the legal foundation he helped build for the Civil Rights Act, Thurgood Marshall’s legacy continues to shape the pursuit of justice in the United States.
After Marshall passed away in 1993, the Supreme Court enacted a special resolution honoring the late justice. “The great majority of Supreme Court Justices are almost always remembered for their contributions to constitutional law as members of this Court. Justice Marshall, however, is unique because his contributions to constitutional law before becoming a member of the Court were so significant,” wrote Chief Justice William Rehnquist. “Inscribed above the front entrance to this Court building are the words, ‘Equal Justice Under Law.’ Surely no individual did more to make these words a reality than Thurgood Marshall.”
Quote of the Day by Thurgood Marshall
“Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.”
The quote comes from Thurgood Marshall’s commencement address at the University of Virginia on May 21, 1978. He was speaking to graduating students, encouraging them to take an active role in protecting democracy and pursuing justice throughout their lives.
Here is more from his speech that day, which is equally impactful:
“Each of you as an individual must pick your own goals. Listen to others but do not become a blind follower. Do not wait for others to move out—move out yourself—where you see wrong or inequality or injustice speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy—make it—protect it—pass it on. You are ready. Go to it.”
Earlier in the speech, Marshall emphasized that democracy survives only when citizens are informed and engaged, saying that being knowledgeable “is essential work for the citizens of a democracy.” He concluded with this call to action to speak out.
The quote reflects Marshall’s enduring belief that democracy is something citizens must actively build, protect, and improve. After spending his career challenging injustice and expanding civil rights, he understood that lasting progress depends on individuals who are willing to recognize inequality, speak against it, and leave a stronger democracy for those who follow. As Congressman John Lewis said, “Thurgood Marshall stood up, spoke up, and fought back so that America could become a better America.”
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More Quotes from Thurgood Marshall
“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”
“The legal system can force open doors, and sometimes even knock down walls, but it cannot build bridges. That job belongs to you and me.”
“None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody—a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony, or a few nuns—bent down and helped us pick up our boots.”
“The measure of a country’s greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis.”
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