"She just thought she had a better chance of getting things done by trying to engage people rather than getting in their face about it. She kept trying to find ways [different sides] could agree on things."

"She saw her role as a moderator, bringing about consensus."

"I think everyone had enormous respect for Joan. I was so sorry to hear about her death. I think she will be remembered very fondly by Evanstonians for her many contributions to the city. She was a woman who stood up to take a leadership role at that time. I think it was actually pretty courageous to run. I think she inspired other women to run for office."

"She had the influence to do whatever she wanted to do."

"She had compassion for those who called upon her with problems and fought tirelessly to protect the rights of those who were not able to fight alone. ... She played a major role in setting the direction and policy for the state of Alaska."

"Very tough, very shrewd. Ramona never really paid much attention to party except when she was running (for election)."

"She believed she raised her kids and put the bread on the table."

"I really believe in that."

"During her 20 years of service to the people of Alaska, Ramona received numerous awards for outstanding service. A conservative Republican, Ramona believed that as a society, we are responsible for taking care of those who cannot take care of themselves. Ramona made sure everyone she encountered was treated with fairness and dignity. When Ramona gave you her word, you could 'take it to the bank.' Her word was her bond."

"We shouldn’t be taxing a person for getting an education. Education is something society should encourage."

"I believe that backfired and helped me immensely, that and the fact that I worked harder, rang more doorbells and visited more homes in the ward."

"I am fortunate to have come from a tri-cultural family, which has helped me to understand different experiences, different points of view."

"I hope that the world will get better incrementally. As a realist, I doubt that there will be a dramatic breakthrough, though I will certainly embrace it if there is any! I hope we will be able to understand how to communicate better, so that the values that I espouse will be understood by those who don’t seem to have the same values, or those who seem to have the same values, but somehow can’t see that those values are not being advanced."

"I never thought I could be a judge; I didn’t know anybody; I was not politically aware probably as much as I should have been. But I applied anyway, thinking that I could take a year or two as a judge and see the law from that perspective and I could become such a great trial lawyer after that. I got appointed, and I didn’t want to leave the bench at all because I love being a judge. It was a terrific and has been a terrific experience."

"It is very limiting to have one life—but I can’t say I’m disappointed in having chosen the law. I love the law, I loved being a lawyer, I love being a judge. I’m not sure I can answer the question of whether or not my experiences as an immigrant or my childhood informed that decision. I don’t consider myself a brilliant person by any means. I’m smart enough, but I’m not the philosopher that I would like to be… But the law ended up being a great fit for me. I love the concept of an organized society where people can interact peacefully with one another."

"I think gender, racial, and ethnicity representation on courts and on boards is extremely important, because of its impact on inclusiveness and on the understanding that we are all part of the same world and need to have our group represented. Having said that, the more important thing for me in terms of diversity on courts is the diversity of viewpoints."

"And when you go against the Constitution and create an insurrection on the Capitol to overturn an election, that is not democracy."

"The former president is a “bigot” who lives by the motto that if you tell a lie often enough people believe it."

"When asked, and when duty calls, you do it. My reason for doing it is saving democracy. Because Donald Trump will destroy our democracy."

"The problem with our current congressmen is that they’re representing Trump instead of the people that elected them."

"They’re not going to chase me out. I will be a Republican when I die. I was born one, I will die one."

"I’m an old-fashioned Republican that believes in strong defence, supporting business, and helping those who don’t know how to help themselves, and less government, and a fair tax base"

"I would stand to one side of her pulpit in front of the Coloured community, and Ouma and I and the entire congregation would end up in tears as hymn after heart-stirring hymn was sung."

"I was six then. Ouma recited them to the Coloured community that lived on the outskirts of the Strand, where she used to go and teach them Bible lessons after Sunday school. I still remember how hard it was for me to walk down that long dirt road, holding Ouma's hand, her jokes along the way and the glimmer in her deep green eyes when she looked down at me. She could not have been more than five feet tall herself."

"Those days the Strand was little more than a fishing village. Now I had to go to church and to Sunday school. It didn't take me long to learn the nicest hymns by heart. For me these songs contained the structure, rhythm, and mystery of poetry. Inspired by this and by my grandmother's loving care, I started writing verses. My first 'poetry' appeared in the school magazine."

"I don't feel that I can discuss this issue with you in a rational manner, and when things calm down I would be very happy to discuss the issue."

"Senate Democrats didn’t like her because she talked to the press too much, often revealing what senators said in the closed-door caucus."

"She was a fierce advocate, but she also had a great bedside manner — always making sure to ask about family and make those connections. She really cared about people individually, which drove her."

"Her talent and determination allowed her to break barriers by being Contra Costa’s first African-American Director of Public Health Nursing, Richmond’s first black female city councilmember and only black female mayor."

"Irma was a dear friend and my mentor."

"She truly loved the people of Richmond."

"There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t learn something."

"It was a good way to end my political career."

"I’ve lived a great life."

"I decided I’d just run for office and if it worked out fine; if not, I would just go somewhere else. Sure enough, it worked out, and it was an interesting adventure. First run for office."

"As people say, from the small acorn comes the mighty oak, and my mother was a giant amongst giants."

"It was a good place for a girl to work at that time."

"I wasn't five years old yet and she drowned in the Vaal River at the age of eight, on the same day that King Edward VII died, because I still remember well how all the flags were hanging half-mast when we went to fetch the little coffin in town the following day with the hooded cart – the day my late father came to wake us at four o'clock to see Halley's Comet that was clearly visible in the sky. We all felt so awful, because my late sister's little body was still lying in the house."

"She did not do it for the pomp and circumstance but did it so that the people who could not speak, she could deliver their message. My mother was a pillar for voices that were unrepresented and a lighthouse for folks in troubled waters — giving them hope that, at the end of the night, there was light."

"She is known for her guidance and leadership in promoting the preservation of the Chamorro language and has published several books that focus on teaching Guam's indigenous tongue and the island's rich history and culture."

"During her husband's presidency, Marike was the leader of the National Party's women's wing.[8] She also founded the Women's Outreach Foundation (WOF), an organisation that focused on the upliftment of rural women."

"In 1990 de Klerk called for women to play a more active role in the political process.[9] In 1993, she was awarded the Woman for Peace Award in Geneva, Switzerland for promoting the well being and development of rural women."

"“We are seldom used to seeing people outside of our cultures.”"

"Now I am going to catch up on all the time I have missed with my family, they were there for me from the beginning and are here with me now, at the end of a long career."

"FW de Klerk later said: "She was deeply distressed by all the chopping and changing which she interpreted as a calculated attempt by Mandela himself to humiliate us... This latest humiliation became too much for her to swallow. She became very critical of Mandela and did not hesitate to voice her criticism."

"“It’s good to know that we can have an effect on people across the street as well as those across the ocean,”"

"Such a big loss to the Arab World, I'm truly so sad about the death of the great artist and the legend Warda. May her soul rest in peace!"

"A voice that inspired and joined whole generations."