Punishment is now unfashionable… because it creates moral distinctions among men, which, to the democratic mind, are odious. We prefer a meaningless collective guilt to a meaningful individual responsibility.
—Thomas Szasz (1920–2012) Hungarian-American Psychiatrist, Psychoanalyst
The more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws.
—Tacitus (56–117) Roman Orator, Historian
You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation.
—Marian Wright Edelman (b.1939) American Civil Regrets Advocate, Humanitarian, Lawyer
Our judgments judge us, and nothing reveals us, exposes our weaknesses, more ingeniously than the attitude of pronouncing upon our fellows.
—Paul Valery (1871–1945) French Critic, Poet
The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.
—Anatole France (1844–1924) French Novelist
Clouds and darkness surround us, yet Heaven is just, and the day of triumph will surely come, when justice and truth will be vindicated. Our wrongs will be made right, and we will once more, taste the blessings of freedom.
—Mary Todd Lincoln (1818–82) American First lady
The best guarantee for justice in public dealings is the participation in their own government of the people most likely to suffer from injustice.
—John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn (1838–1923) British Political Leader, Writer, Editor, Journalist
But how is…legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay, for it is not only an evil itself, but also it is a fertile source for further evils because it invites reprisals.
—Frederic Bastiat (1801–50) French Political Economist
There is no such thing as justice–in or out of court.
—Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) American Civil Liberties Lawyer
Judicial judgment must take deep account of the day before yesterday in order that yesterday may not paralyze today.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
Nothing can render affliction so insupportable as the load of sin. Would you then be fitted for afflictions? Be sure to get the burden of your sins laid aside, and then what affliction soever you may meet with will be very easy to you.
—John Bunyan (1628–88) English Puritan Writer, Preacher
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
—Elie Wiesel (b.1928) Romanian-born American Writer, Professor, Political Activist
The price of justice is eternal publicity.
—Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) British Novelist, Playwright, Critic
It’s time for greatness — not for greed. It’s a time for idealism — not ideology. It is a time not just for compassionate words, but compassionate action.
—Marian Wright Edelman (b.1939) American Civil Regrets Advocate, Humanitarian, Lawyer
A hurtful act is the transference to others of the degradation which we bear in ourselves.
—Simone Weil (1909–1943) French Philosopher, Political Activist
Charity begins at home and justice begins next door.
—Charles Dickens (1812–70) English Novelist
It is well-nigh obvious that those who are in favor of the death penalty have more affinities with murderers than those who oppose it.
—Remy de Gourmont (1858–1915) French Poet, Novelist, Critic
Above all do not ask that justice be just: It is just, because it is justice. The idea of a just justice could have originated only in the brain of an anarchist.
—Honore de Balzac (1799–1850) French Novelist
In the Halls of Justice, the only justice is in the halls.
—Lenny Bruce (1925–66) American Comedian, Writer, Social Critic, Satirist
I’ve never had a problem with drugs. I’ve had problems with the police.
—Keith Richards (b.1943) English Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Actor
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.
—Baruch Spinoza (1632–77) Dutch Philosopher, Theologian
Justice should remove the bandage from her eyes long enough to distinguish between the vicious and the unfortunate.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–99) American Lawyer, Orator, Agnostic
There is no such thing as justice – in or out of court.
—Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) American Civil Liberties Lawyer
It is impossible to find twelve fair men in all the world.
—W. C. Fields (1880–1946) American Actor, Comedian, Writer
The jury, passing on the prisoner’s life, may have in the sworn twelve a thief or two guiltier than him they try.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
The essence of justice is mercy.
—Edwin Hubbell Chapin (1814–80) American Preacher, Poet
Objective evidence and certitude are doubtless very fine ideals to play with, but where on this moonlit and dream-visited planet are they found?
—William James (1842–1910) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician
God’s mill grinds slow but sure.
—George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh Anglican Poet, Orator, Clergyman
All are presumed good till they are found at fault.
—George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh Anglican Poet, Orator, Clergyman
If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
—Mother Teresa (1910–97) Roman Catholic Missionary, Nun
To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.
—A. W. Tozer (1897–1963) American Christian Pastor, Preacher, Author, Editor
I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
Thieves for their robbery have authority when judges steal themselves.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
Those terrifying verbal jungles called laws are simply such directives, accumulated, codified, and systematized through the centuries.
—S. I. Hayakawa (1906–92) Canadian-born American Academic, Elected Rep, Politician
Justice advances with such languid steps that crime often escapes from its slowness. Its tardy and doubtful course causes many tears to be shed.
—Pierre Corneille (1606–84) French Poet, Dramatist
This is a court of law young man, not a court of justice.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American Jurist, Author
Justice is the tolerable accommodation of the conflicting interests of society, and I don’t believe there is any royal road to attain such accommodation concretely.
—Learned Hand (1872–1961) American Judge, Judicial Philosopher
To say that a thing has never yet been done among men is to erect a barrier stronger than reason, stronger than discussion.
—Thomas Brackett Reed (1839–1902) American Politician, Lawyer
The voice of the majority is no proof of justice.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist
Judging from the main portions of the history of the world, so far, justice is always in jeopardy.
—Walt Whitman (1819–92) American Poet, Essayist, Journalist, American, Poet, Essayist, Journalist
How unfair the fate which ordains that those who have the least should be always adding to the treasury of the wealthy.
—Terence (c.195–159 BCE) Roman Comic Dramatist
Thy neighbor’s property must be as sacred to thee as thine own.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Only a kind person is able to judge another justly and to make allowances for his weaknesses. A kind eye, while recognizing defects, sees beyond them.
—Lawrence G. Lovasik
Laws: We know what they are, and what they are worth! They are spider webs for the rich and mighty, steel chains for the poor and weak, fishing nets in the hands of the government.
—Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809–65) French Politician, Philosopher, Socialist
At a time when opportunism is everything, when hope seems lost, when everything boils down to a cynical business deal, we must find the courage to dream. To reclaim romance. The romance of believing in justice, in freedom, and in dignity. For everybody.
—Arundhati Roy (b.1961) Indian Author, Actress, Activist
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.
—Earl Warren (1891–1974) American Judge, Politician
A joke, even if it be a lame one, is nowhere so keenly relished or quickly applauded as in a murder trial.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person’s enemies say about him.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.
—J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973) British Scholar, Author
Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.
—Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) American Christian Theologian
Statutes are mere milestones, telling how far yesterday’s thought had travelled; and the talk of the sidewalk today is the law of the land. — With us, law is nothing unless close behind it stands a warm, living public opinion.
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84) American Abolitionist, Lawyer, Orator
Justice is the bread of the nation; it is always hungry for it.
—Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand (1768–1848) French Writer, Academician, Statesman
The most important thing in their lives … was to have a lawsuit going. It was not a question of winning or losing it, and indeed it was vital to do neither, for otherwise the suit would be over and done with. A lawsuit was part of the personality, if not the only visible sign of it, to such an extent that there was often no real animosity between the litigants, because they both needed each other.
—Salvatore Satta (1902–75) Italian Jurist, Novelist
The sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world.
—Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) American Christian Theologian
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–68) American Civil Rights Leader, Clergyman
Justice delayed is justice denied.
—William Ewart Gladstone (1809–98) English Liberal Statesman, Prime Minister
It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.
—Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) American Cartoonist, Writer, Artist
The shepherd is lame and the goats are nimble, but at the entrance of the fold they will have to meet him and at the door of the stable they will be counted.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system — that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.
—Harper Lee (1926–2016) American Novelist
Nothing is to be preferred before justice.
—Socrates (469BCE–399BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.
—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–68) American Civil Rights Leader, Clergyman
The weakest arm is strong enough, that strikes
With the sword of justice.
—John Webster (1580–1634) English Dramatist, Poet
If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you and you have to battle with only one of them.
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) American Head of State, Lawyer
Stop judging so that you will not be judged. Otherwise, you will be judged by the same standard you use to judge others. The standards you use for others will be applied to you.
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
He who goes no further than bare justice, stops at the beginning of virtue.
—Hugh Blair (1718–1800) Scottish Preacher, Scholar, Critic
If thou suffer injustice, console thyself; the true unhappiness is in doing it.
—Democritus (c.460–c.370 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher
God gives manhood but one clue to success, utter and exact justice; that, he guarantees, shall be always expediency.
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84) American Abolitionist, Lawyer, Orator
It is one thing to say with the prophet Amos, “Let justice roll down like mighty waters,” and quite another to work out the irrigation system. Clearly there is more certainty in the recognition of wrongs than there is in the prescription for their cure.
—William Sloane Coffin (1924–2006) American Presbyterian Clergyman, Peace Activist
The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedom.
—William O. Douglas (1898–1980) American Judge
I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s rain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and ied in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould (1941–2002) American Paleontologist
A fox should not be of the jury at a goose’s trial.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
When Infinite Wisdom established the rule of right and honesty, He saw to it that justice should be always the highest expediency.
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84) American Abolitionist, Lawyer, Orator
People who love sausage and people who believe in justice should never watch either of them being made.
—Otto von Bismarck (1815–98) German Chancellor, Prime Minister
The greatest crimes are caused by surfeit, not by want.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.
—Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–68) American Civil Rights Leader, Clergyman
The only way to make the mass of mankind see the beauty of justice, is by showing them, in pretty plain terms, the consequence of injustice.
—Sydney Smith (1771–1845) English Clergyman, Essayist, Wit
A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
If, in my retirement to the humble station of a private citizen, I am accompanied with the esteem and approbation of my fellow citizens, trophies obtained by the bloodstained steel, or the tattered flags of the tented field, will never be envied. The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works.
—Burton Hillis (William E. Vaughan) (1915–77) American Columnist, Author
Having your fate rest in the hands of a jury is the same as entrusting yourself to surgery with a mentally retarded doctor.
—Unknown
From the very spoon that the carver carved, he has to swallow hot mustard.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced.
—Frank Zappa (1940–93) American Rock Guitarist, Singer, Composer
Whatever is hateful to thee, do not to thy neighbor.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Wrong neither thy brother in faith nor him who differs from thee in faith.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Justice without wisdom is impossible.
—James Anthony Froude (1818–94) British Historian, Novelist, Biographer, Editor
There’s nothing written in the Bible, Old or New testament, that says, “If you believe in Me, you ain’t going to have no troubles.”
—Ray Charles (1930–2004) American Singer, Songwriter, Musician
There is no such thing as justice in the abstract; it is merely a compact between men.
—Epicurus (c.341–270 BCE) Greek Philosopher
The vices of the rich and great are mistaken for error; and those of the poor and lowly, for crimes.
—Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington (1789–1849) Irish Novelist, Writer
It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery.
—Demosthenes (384–322 BCE) Greek Statesman, Orator
We cannot seek or attain health, wealth, learning, justice or kindness in general. Action is always specific, concrete, individualized, unique.
—John Dewey (1859–1952) American Philosopher, Psychologist, Educator
You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man’s freedom. You can only be free if I am free.
—Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) American Civil Liberties Lawyer
In the same degree that we overrate ourselves, we shall underrate others; for injustice allowed at home is not likely to be correct abroad.
—Washington Allston (1779–1843) American Poet, Painter
The challenge of social justice is to evoke a sense of community that we need to make our nation a better place, just as we make it a safer place.
—Marian Wright Edelman (b.1939) American Civil Regrets Advocate, Humanitarian, Lawyer