William O. Douglas Quotes - Page 5

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• I realized that Eastern thought had somewhat more compassion for all living things. Man was a form of life that in another reincarnation might possibly be a horsefly or a bird of paradise or a deer. So a man of such a faith, looking at animals, might be looking at old friends or ancestors. In the East the wilderness has no evil connotation; it is thought of as an expression of the unity and harmony of the universe.

  William O. Douglas

  Animal, Men, Compassion

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• But our society - unlike most in the world - presupposes that freedom and liberty are in a frame of reference that makes the individual, not government, the keeper of his tastes, beliefs, and ideas. That is the philosophy of the First Amendment; and it is this article of faith that sets us apart from most nations in the world.

  William O. Douglas

  Philosophy, Government, Ideas

  "Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton, 413 U.S. 49". U.S. Supreme Court case, supreme.justia.com. June 21, 1973.

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• Violence has no constitutional sanction; and every government from the beginning has moved against it. But where grievances pile high and most of the elected spokesmen represent the Establishment, violence may be the only effective response.

  William O. Douglas

  Government, May, Violence

  "Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations", ("Points of Rebellion"), pp. 88-89, 1989.

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• I hope to be remembered as someone who made the earth a little more beautiful.

  William O. Douglas

  Beautiful, Earth, Littles

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• At the constitutional level where we work, 90 percent of any decision is emotional. The rational part of us supplies the reasons for supporting our predilections.

  William O. Douglas

  Emotional, Thinking, Decision

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• World federation is an ideal that will not die. More and more people are coming to realize that peace must be more than an interlude if we are to survive; that peace is a produce of law and order; that law is essential if the force of arms is not to rule the world.

  William O. Douglas

  Order, Law, People

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• Fear of ideas makes us impotent and ineffective.

  William O. Douglas

  Ideas

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• Effective self-government cannot succeed unless the people are immersed in a steady, robust, unimpeded, and uncensored flow of opinion and reporting which are continuously subjected to critique, rebuttal, and reexamination.

  William O. Douglas

  Government, Self, People

  "Branzburg v. Hayes, 408 U.S. 665". U.S. Supreme Court case, supreme.justia.com. June 29, 1972.

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• Religious experiences which are as real as life to some may be incomprehensible to others.

  William O. Douglas

  Religious, Real, May

  "United States v. Ballard, 322 U.S. 78". U.S. Supreme Court case, supreme.justia.com. April 24, 1944.

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• We do not sit as a super-legislature to weigh the wisdom of legislation.

  William O. Douglas

  Legislation

  "Day-Brite Lighting, Inc. v. Missouri, 342 U.S. 421". U.S. Supreme Court case, supreme.justia.com. March 3, 1952.

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• The First Amendment, however, does not say that in every and all respects there shall be a separation of Church and State. Rathe, it studiously defines the manner, the specific ways, in which there shall be no concert or union or dependency one on the other. That is the common sense of the matter. Otherwise the state and religion would be aliens to each other.

  William O. Douglas

  Common Sense, Church, Doe

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• The first opinion the Court ever filed has a dissenting opinion. Dissent is a tradition of this Court... When someone is writing for the Court, he hopes to get eight others to agree with him, so many of the majority opinions are rather stultified.

  William O. Douglas

  Writing, Eight, Liberty

  The New York Times Interview, October 29, 1973.

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• I learned that the richness of life is found in adventure. . . . It develops self-reliance and independence. Life then teems with excitement. There is stagnation only in security.

  William O. Douglas

  Nature, Adventure, Journey

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• Why cannot we work at cooperative schemes and search for the common ground binding all mankind together?

  William O. Douglas

  Together, Common, Schemes

  WILLIAM O. DOUGLAS (1970). “POINTS OF REBELLION”

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• Motion pictures are of course a different medium of expression than the public speech, the radio, the stage, the novel, or the magazine. But the First Amendment draws no distinction between the various methods of communicating ideas.

  William O. Douglas

  Expression, Ideas, Different

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• The use of violence as an instrument of persuasion is therefore inviting and seems to the discontented to be the only effective protest.

  William O. Douglas

  Use, Violence, Persuasion

  WILLIAM O. DOUGLAS (1970). “POINTS OF REBELLION”

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• One who comes to the Court must come to adore, not to protest. That's the new gloss on the First Amendment.

  William O. Douglas

  History, Amendments, Court

  "The Court years, 1939-1975: The Autobiography of William O. Douglas‎". Book by William O. Douglas, 1980.

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• A reporter is no better than his source of information.

  William O. Douglas

  Information, Source, Reporters

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• Literature should not be suppressed merely because it offends the moral code of the censor.

  William O. Douglas

  Literature, Moral, Censorship

  "Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476". U.S. Supreme Court case, supreme.justia.com. June 24, 1957.

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• We who have the final word can speak softly or angrily. We can seek to challenge and annoy, as we need not stay docile and quiet.

  William O. Douglas

  Annoyed, Challenges, Finals

  "Colten v. Kentucky, 407 U.S. 104". U.S. Supreme Court case, supreme.justia.com. June 12, 1972.

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• The rules when the giants play are the same as when the pygmies enter the market.

  William O. Douglas

  Play, Giants

  "Scherk v. Alberto-Culver Co., 417 U.S. 506". U.S. Supreme Court case, supreme.justia.com. June 17, 1974.

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• The right to work, I had assumed, was the most precious liberty that man possesses. Man has indeed as much right to work as he has to live, to be free, to own property.

  William O. Douglas

  Wisdom, Men, Liberty

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• Freedom of movement is the very essence of our free society -- once the right to travel is curtailed, all other rights suffer.

  William O. Douglas

  Rights, Government, Essence

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• The Framers [of the Constitution] . . . created the federally protected right of silence and decreed that the law could not be used to pry open one's lips and make him a witness against himself.

  William O. Douglas

  Law, Silence, Lips

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• There have always been grievances and youth has always been the agitator.

  William O. Douglas

  Agitation, Youth, Grievance

  WILLIAM O. DOUGLAS (1970). “POINTS OF REBELLION”

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