Top 44 Reshma Saujani Quotes

I’m a feminist with a capital ‘F’ and have always had a passion for policy.

I always say if you’re not failing, you’re not trying.

Being brave is what led to three rejections from Yale Law School before being accepted. It led to losing my 2010 race for U.S. Congress, and another failed bid for public office in 2013, this time for public advocate of New York City.

Computer science is not just for smart ‘nerds’ in hoodies coding in basements. Coding is extremely creative and is an integral part of almost every industry.

I’ve chosen opportunities where I might fail rather than live in the shadow of my own potential.

As I’ve traveled the country, we visit tech incubators all the time where women are going into their second or third act in their career and learning how to be software programmers, or how to work at startup companies, and learning a completely different skill set. I think it’s never too late.

If our American women are going to work to put food on the table and pay for the mortgage, then we better make sure that they get put into jobs that pay well and that pay their worth. That’s why I’m such a huge advocate about computing jobs, because those are the jobs.

I have seen girls tackle every single big problem from cancer to lead poisoning to climate change to homelessness to bullying in schools. There is literally no problem that we can’t solve.

Girls Who Code is all about providing role models. You can’t be what you can’t see.

I don’t like to do small things. If I’m going to do something, I’m going to really make an impact.

As women, we’re presented this false choice that is either our children or our work. But I don’t think I fully understood the paradox until I had a child. I bring my son to work and let other parents do the same. I am very intentional about the workplace that I create, and my son is a big part of that.

The culture of tech companies cannot change if women aren’t in the room.

A movement only takes form from that first act. Exploring a curiosity, or a real passion, and being motivated by a desire to solve something – that’s really the best way.

It’s important to find people who believe in you. You also have to find people that you believe in.

I have learned how to say no, and I have to check myself all the time. I’m not great at it still. Women get criticized a lot more for saying no than men do.

Is the investment community critical to our economic success? Yes. Free markets, innovation, access to credit, venture capital, and strong labor rights – these have been the underpinnings of our economic vitality, from laying railways to broadband lines.

When I was 33 years old, I ran for United States Congress in New York City. I lost miserably.

With my own son, my style of mothering has been to bring him everywhere. He’s sitting on my lap during interviews. When I went to the White House to meet President Obama, he was there.

Theoretically, I have no business starting an organization called Girls Who Code, because I don’t code.

Girls Who Code doesn’t exist solely to discover the next great female technology icon, although that would be great! In addition to coding, the girls at our program learn to pitch ideas and products, present themselves professionally, and interact with colleagues at every level of a company.

Hillary Clinton was a hugely important mentor for me. I don’t talk to her every day, but sometimes mentorship means being able to watch somebody’s leadership from afar.

What happens to boys in tech is in many ways different than what happens to girls in tech. it’s not that they’re facing sexism per se: it’s that they don’t think it’s cool. So I think we really have to change the way we present technology.

Too many times we just think about our ideas, and we let people convince us not to do it.

While I’ve had so many different jobs – I’ve worked in law, I’ve worked in government, I’ve run for office – there’s a common theme. The theme for my entire life has been about giving back.

There is a seductive simplicity in Donald Trump’s vision to build walls and ban refugees to protect American interests. But we must always remember that we create far greater opportunity for all Americans when we enable the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of people globally to take root here.

I had to learn how to not be a micro-manager. Maternity leave made me do that. I just couldn’t anymore.

For too many of our young people, that once-promised American dream has given way to an American debt burden and a bleak job market.

I never take for granted how lucky I am to be an American and what a privilege it is to spend each day at a nonprofit dedicated to helping the next generation of girls achieve their dreams. My journey, as the daughter of refugees, shows what refugees and the children of refugees can create for all Americans.

Most girls are taught to avoid risk and failure. We’re taught to smile pretty, play it safe, get all A’s. Boys, on the other hand, are taught to play rough, swing high, crawl to the top of the monkey bars, and then just jump off headfirst.

I believe in the power of peer mentorship. When I learned how to ask for a raise, how to fire someone, how to deal with a board challenge – I didn’t get that from mentors like Hillary Clinton. I got that from women who were my friends and who had already done the thing that I was doing.

There’s no more powerful lesson than knowing that your setbacks will one day help you succeed.

I was full of pride when President Obama talked about coding in his last State of the Union address. I was proud when Chicago recently made computer science mandatory as a requirement for graduation. To see this elevate to the level of a bigger conversation is progress.

For me, if I’m away from my son for more than 48 hours, I’m crabby.

Everything I’ve achieved has come from perseverance. I’ve never met another entrepreneur who had a painless path to success – everyone who tries to bring new ideas to the world is tested.

I’m a big proponent of mandatory computer science education. I think the first step is educating policymakers that technology is changing the way that we live and work, and it’s happening so fast.

When I’m in the best physical shape of my life, I’m in the best professional space. I can track the connection between the two.

We must stand up and fight for an America that welcomes young doers and dreamers instead of categorically denying entry to so many simply based on their religion or country of origin.

I think as automation gets even more and more prevalent, we’re going to need to learn how to code. Everybody does.

I was in my 30s when I quit my job and ran for Congress. So often, we’re told it’s OK to take these big career leaps when we’re in our 20s, but we cast such an unfavorable light on those who take big risks later on in their careers or when they start families. There’s enormous pressure to have it all figured out.

I don’t feel like I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve yet, even though every day I get an email from another girl who tells me the difference that Girls Who Code has made in her life. I’m not done yet.

For so long, women have been waiting to get recognized. The world doesn’t work that way. We need to teach girls that it’s OK to ask for what you want when it comes to your salary or whatever it is you want to enhance your career. No one is going to notice you no matter how amazing you are.

You’re never too young or too old to be a mentor.

In college, I studied political science, policy, and law. My plan was to move to New York, pay off student debt in a year or two, and then run for office.

I give my e-mail out all the time – my team doesn’t love that! People e-mail me or tweet at me or LinkedIn me. I’ve learned that oftentimes people just need five minutes. People just need to touch somebody real and have a connection for a moment.