--- description: And get ready for them to be quoted in every wedding this summer title: These Are the 141 Words That Just Changed History image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [politics](/tag/politics/) ## politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These Are the 141 Words That Just Changed History by [Lisa Grunwald](/author/lisa-grunwald/) ## Lisa Grunwald Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 26, 2015 3:48 PM CUT by [Lisa Grunwald](/author/lisa-grunwald/) ## Lisa Grunwald Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 26, 2015 3:48 PM CUT With his historic swing vote in the landmark case _Obergefell v. Hodges_, Justice Anthony Kennedy changed the map, the finances, the dignity, the hopes, and the laws of a nation. But with these words from his decision, he also gave the American people a definition of love and marriage that will endure, no matter what political storms it also brings.  ### See Scenes of Celebration After Supreme Court Gay Marriage Ruling  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jacquelyn Martin—AP  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Gay rights supporters celebrate after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, June 26, 2015. Jim Bourg—Reuters  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jim Lo Scalzo—EPA  John Becker, right, hugs his friend and fellow LGBT advocate Paul Guequierre, outside the Supreme Court in Washington on June 26, 2015. Jacquelyn Martin—AP  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Jim Bourg—Reuters  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Mladen Antonov—AFP/Getty Images  Supporters of same-sex marriage celebrate outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 26, 2015. Manuel Balce Ceneta—AP ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3937619/scotus-gay-marriage-ruling/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3937619/scotus-gay-marriage-ruling/"},"headline":"These Are the 141 Words That Just Changed History","datePublished":"2015-06-26T15:48:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-09T08:20:05.457Z","description":"And get ready for them to be quoted in every wedding this summer","url":"https://time.com/3937619/scotus-gay-marriage-ruling/","keywords":["politics"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Grunwald","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/lisa-grunwald/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/politics/","name":"politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3937619/scotus-gay-marriage-ruling/","name":"These Are the 141 Words That Just Changed History"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This is The History of the Rainbow Flag","description":"How the rainbow flag became an icon of LGBT rights","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/bnTiT5cr/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-24T22:02:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bnTiT5cr.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3937619/scotus-gay-marriage-ruling/","duration":"PT1M31S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3937619/scotus-gay-marriage-ruling/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```