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William Kunstler

William Kunstler Quotes

Lawyer

William Kunstler was a prominent American lawyer known for his work in civil rights and social justice movements. He played a significant role in the American legal community in the mid-20th century, representing many political prisoners and civil rights activists, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Bertrand Russell.

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All Civil Disobedience Disobedience People Years Believe Certain Country Dog Evil Government

Famous William Kunstler Quotes

“I believe in civil disobedience among other forms of resistance in times when it's called for.”

Believe Form I Believe I Believe In Resistance Disobedience Civil Disobedience

Author:William Kunstler

“I favor massive civil disobedience, among other things. It is not the only thing that is used to protest any grievance in society. But it is one of the most effective under certain conditions.”

Used Certain Conditions Favors Protest Massive Disobedience Civil Disobedience Grievance

Author:William Kunstler

“There is a vast need for all types of protest today, whether it be civil disobedience, or whether it be on a - more conventional variety.”

Needs Today Type Variety Protest Conventional Disobedience Civil Disobedience

Author:William Kunstler

“Civil disobedience is a viable political tactic, and a non-violent tactic.”

Political Violent Tactics Disobedience Civil Disobedience Non Violent

Author:William Kunstler

“When we talk about justice in America we're really talking about justice brought about by the people, not by judges who are tools of the establishment or prosecutors who are are equally tools of the establishment or the wardens or the police officers.”

People America Justice Talking Judging Tools Police Officers Establishment Police Officer Prosecutor Wardens

Author:William Kunstler

“On the unofficial level it was a glorious moment in our national life because young people decided that this had to stop, that they could no longer stand the shedding of blood in this tragic adventure in Southeast Asia.”

People Moments Young Levels Blood Adventure Travel Decided Glorious Tragic Funny Travel Asia Southeast Asia

Author:William Kunstler

“A dog is like a liberal. He wants to please everybody. A cat really doesn't need to know that everybody loves him.”

Knows Want Needs Dog Please Cat

Author:William Kunstler

“This is New York, and there's no law against being annoying.”

Law New York Annoying Annoyed

Author:William Kunstler

“At first blush, it seems that the young people who were shot down in the parking lot at the base of Blanket Hill gave up their lives for a dream that died with them.”

People Firsts Dream Seems Young Shots Died Hills Blanket Gave Up Parking Parking Lot

Book:The Emerging Police State: Resisting Illegitimate Authority

Source: The Emerging Police State: Resisting Illegitimate Authority

“So May 4th in the labor movement has always been an important date.”

May Important Movement Labor Dating Labor Movement

Author:William Kunstler

“A society remotely worth its salt eventually has to come to grips with the barbarism practiced upon helpless creatures in the name of scientific experimentation, tastier/tenderer meat, or more and larger eggs!”

Names Animal Creatures Meat Eggs Animal Rights Salt Helpless Worth It Experimentation Barbarism

Author:William Kunstler

“After years spent trying to deal with the effects of COINTELPRO, my rage at the FBI's almost unimaginable evil remains undiminished because I believe that it succeeded in many of its horrifying goals, given the deaths of Martin King, Malcolm X, and other sixties leaders. Since the FBI uses taxpayer dollars to fund its extreme and ridiculous investigations of anyone who expresses dissenting opinions, even resorting to crime - including theft, encouragement to murder, subornation of perjury, and manipulation of the judicial process - to achieve its ends, I have always advocated its disbanding.”

“A dog is a liberal... He wants to please everybody.”

Want Dog Please

Author:William Kunstler

“But on the other hand government takes away a certain amount of liberty and in some countries it takes away all of liberty. And it will, everywhere, if people who fight government do not fight government any longer.”

People Ifs Country Hands Government Certain Fighting Liberty Amount

Author:William Kunstler

“Four years earlier I had been selected, with Kay Boyle, the writer, and a number of others, to go to Cambodia and come back and prove that there were no sanctuaries in that country.”

Years Country Numbers Four Prove Four Years Sanctuary Selected Cambodia

Author:William Kunstler

“May 4th is a particularly memorable day in American history because 84 years to the day before May 4, 1970, there was another demonstration at the Haymarket Square in Chicago.”

Years May Memorable Chicago Squares American History Demonstration

Author:William Kunstler

“Our bodies must always be wherever that struggle and the moment we forget that, the moment we become lazy, the moment we sit back, then then the evil ones do their ordained tasks to us.”

Moments Body Evil Forget Struggle Tasks Lazy

Author:William Kunstler

About the Author

Born: July 7, 1919
Died: September 4, 1995
Known for: Lawyer
Quotes: 17

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Civil Disobedience Disobedience People Years Believe Certain Country Dog Evil Government

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The Emerging Police State: Resisting Illegitimate AuthorityRelated source material

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