Remarks at the University of Texas at Austin (22 February 1991), as cited in Let me tell you what I've learned: Texas Wisewomen Speak, PJ Pierce, University of Texas Press (2010), p. 17
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Those who hold the public trust must adhere to the highest ethical standards there are. The job requires it, and the public must demand it.

— Barbara Jordan

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Those who hold the public trust must adhere to the highest ethical standards there are. The job requires it, and the public must demand it." in the context of "Remarks at the University of Texas at Austin (22 February 1991), as cited in Let me tell you what I've learned: Texas Wisewomen Speak, PJ Pierce, University of Texas Press (2010), p. 17" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Barbara Jordan" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Barbara Jordan

About Barbara Jordan

Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American lawyer, educator and politician who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives. She was best known for her eloquent opening statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearings during the impeachment process against Richard Nixon, and as the first African-American as well as the first woman to deliver a keynote address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among numerous other honors. She was a member of the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors from 1978 to 1980. She was the first African-American woman to be buried in the Texas State Cemetery.