Henry David Thoreau

Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.

A perfectly healthy sentence, it is true, is extremely rare. For the most part we miss the hue and fragrance of the thought; as if we could be satisfied with the dews of the morning or evening without their colors, or the heavens without their azure.

He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul’s estate.

We must have infinite faith in each other. If we have not, we must never let it leak out that we have not.

True friendship can afford true knowledge. It does not depend on darkness and ignorance.

We shall see but a little way if we require to understand what we see.

You get a lawyer whether you’re in a military tribunal or whether you’re in a federal court, number one. The attorney general decided that the court with the biggest – with the greatest venue, with the best jurisdiction was the New York court. That was the right decision to make.

It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right.

A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.

The highest law gives a thing to him who can use it.

To live outside the law, you must be honest.

Are you threatening me? If you so much as touch me I’ll have you arrested!

Justice? – You get justice in the next world. In this one you have the law.

It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for law, so much as a respect for right.

Lawyers know life practically. A bookish man should always have them to converse with.

In law, nothing is certain but the expense.

Judges must beware of hard constructions and strained inferences, for there is no worse torture than that of laws.

An incompetent attorney can delay a trial for months or years. A competent attorney can delay one even longer.

My focus now is to be the best justice I can be.

Men are not governed by justice, but by law or persuasion. When they refuse to be governed by law or persuasion, they have to be governed by force or fraud, or both.

When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.