Hannah Dignan

“In Greek mythology, Pallas Athena was celebrated as the goddess of reason and justice.1 To end the cycle of violence that began with Agamemnon’s sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigenia, Athena created a court of justice to try Orestes, thereby installing the rule of law in lieu of the reign of vengeance.2 Recall also the biblical Deborah (from the Book of Judges).3 She was at the same time prophet, judge, and military leader. This triple-headed authority was exercised by only two other Israelites, both men: Moses and Samuel. People came from far and wide to seek Deborah’s judgment. According to the rabbis, Deborah was independently wealthy; thus she could afford to work pro bono.4 Even if its members knew nothing of Athena and Deborah, the U.S. legal establishment resisted admitting women into its ranks far too long.”
― Ruth Bader Ginsburg, My Own Words

“We don’t want the child to view our admiration of them as conditional, as transactional—as coming only when they do something good. We want them to know we value them no matter what. Simply by virtue of being human and in community with other humans, they are of immeasurable intrinsic value.”
― Ibram X. Kendi, How to Raise an Antiracist

“One interesting thing I’ve noticed in my career is that breakthroughs often come after periods of struggle. Every runner, if she keeps it up for a while, will eventually hit a rough patch—a time when she might plateau, fall short of her goals, or give it all on race day only to have a result that doesn’t align with what she would have done in training. Those setbacks or challenges aren’t fun, but they’re often catalysts for the change and growth that ultimately propel her forward.”
― Neely Spence Gracey, Breakthrough Women's Running: Dream Big and Train Smart

“A successful running journey begins with clear, compelling goals. That seems simple enough, but there’s an art to setting goals that are right for you as an individual—they must be big enough to excite you but not so out of reach that they set you up for disappointment. They also need to acknowledge where you are right now in your running life and your life overall.”
― Neely Spence Gracey, Breakthrough Women's Running: Dream Big and Train Smart