F. Lee Bailey Quotes

• Can any of you seriously say the Bill of Rights could get through Congress today? It wouldn't even get out of committee.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Government, Usa, Rights

  "Newsweek" Magazine, April 17, 1967.

  57 Copy quote

• I get paid for seeing that my clients have every break the law allows. I have knowingly defended a number of guilty men. But the guilty never escape unscathed. My fees are sufficient punishment for anyone.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Men, Law, Numbers

  Los Angeles Times, January 09, 1972.

  30 Copy quote

• Fear is something you have to throw into a corner. Constantly. Because it never goes away.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Corners

  13 Copy quote

• In America, an acquittal doesn't mean you're innocent, it means you beat the rap. My clients lose even when they win.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Rap, Mean, Winning

  21 Copy quote

• The public regards lawyers with great distrust. They think lawyers are smarter than the average guy but use their intelligence deviously. Well, they're wrong. Usually they are not smarter.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Thinking, Average, Guy

  Los Angeles Times, January 09, 1972.

  21 Copy quote

• The memory of the American public is about six weeks.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Memories, Six, Week

  10 Copy quote

• I use the rules to frustrate the law. But I didn't set up the ground rules.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Law, Use, Ground Rules

  New York Times, September 20, 1970.

  17 Copy quote

• Most people think that 'I don't recall' is a clever answer. But it isn't that clever. You might not recall that you had bacon and eggs for breakfast- but if you killed your mother, you'll remember it.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Mother, Clever, Thinking

  13 Copy quote

• I have never seen a major trial which lacked significant perjury, and I have yet to see that perjury punished.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Trials, Significant, Perjury

  19 Copy quote

• Those who think the information brought out at a criminal trial is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth are fools. Prosecuting or defending a case is nothing more than getting to those people who will talk for your side, who will say what you want said.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Thinking, Your Side, People

  New York Times, September 20, 1970.

  16 Copy quote

• A person in the business of defending criminal cases is going to live in controversy all of his or her life.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Criminals, Cases, Controversy

  7 Copy quote

• Each lawyer makes somebody unhappy either by beating him, embarrassing him or tying him in knots.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Unhappy, Lawyer, Embarrassing

  8 Copy quote

• When you see a lawyer trying to pick a smart jury, you know he's got a strong case.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Strong, Smart, Trying

  6 Copy quote

• The legal profession is a business with a tremendous collection of egos. Few people who are not strong egotistically gravitate to it.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Strong, People, Ego

  11 Copy quote

• Among the rednecks of America, which there are many more than people seem to realize, it was terribly damaging. I got blamed for O.J.'s acquittal.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Redneck, America, People

  12 Copy quote

• My experience is, people who retire die sooner than they should have.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Should Have, People, Retiring

  11 Copy quote

• I would strongly recommend any young man to stay away from criminal law. It's not a good place to be, unfortunately.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Men, Law, Criminals

  "F. Lee Bailey looks back on his legal career". Interview with Greta Van Susteren, www.cnn.com. August 17, 2000.

  13 Copy quote

• I enjoy personal injury cases. I've tried quite a few of those. And, frankly, any kind of litigation that is trouble-shooting, whether it's equities, suits and injunctions, or whatever.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Shooting, Suits, Kind

  "F. Lee Bailey looks back on his legal career". Interview with Greta Van Susteren, www.cnn.com. August 17, 2000.

  12 Copy quote

• The quality of news coverage has diminished, because giants of the print media are no longer being nurtured properly.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Print Media, Quality, Giants

  6 Copy quote

• The people I have no feeling for are professional killers. But I count that man no worse than a governor who won't commute a death sentence because it's unpolitical.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Men, People, Feelings

  7 Copy quote

• Justice Scalia is predictable. He can be counted on to come down with a conservative opinion, and generally, to bring Justice Clarence Thomas with him.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Justice, Conservative, Opinion

  "F. Lee Bailey looks back on his legal career". Interview with Greta Van Susteren, www.cnn.com. August 17, 2000.

  11 Copy quote

• I can get a firestorm going anywhere in the United States by saying 'O.J.'

  F. Lee Bailey

  United States, States, United

  "F. Lee Bailey: Paper proves OJ Simpson's innocence". www.foxnews.com. January 11, 2011.

  10 Copy quote

• If I'm offered a good case in Florida or a good case somewhere else, South Florida will win every time.

  F. Lee Bailey

  Winning, Florida, Somewhere Else

  8 Copy quote

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