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William O. Douglas

William O. Douglas Quotes

Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

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Famous William O. Douglas Quotes

“We recognize the force of the argument that the effects of war under modern conditions may be felt in the economy for years and years, and that if the war power can be used in days of peace to treat all the wounds which war inflicts on our society, it may not only swallow up all other powers of Congress but largely obliterate the Ninth and the Tenth Amendments as well.”

IfsYearsWellsMayWarUsedForceFeltPowerEconomyModernConditionsEffectsEconomicsArgumentTreatsConstitutionCongressWoundsOur SocietyAmendmentsEffects Of War
Author:William O. Douglas
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“We know by now that if we make technology the predestined force in our lives, man will walk to the measure of its demands. We know how leveling that influence can be, how easy it is to computerize man and make him a servile thing in a vast industrial complex. . . . This means we must subject the machine - technology - to control and cease despoiling the earth and filling people with goodies merely to make money.”

PeopleIfsKnowsMenMeanEarthForceEasyWalksTechnologyKnow HowOur LivesInfluenceSubjectsDemandMachinesComplexesCeaseMaking MoneyFillingPredestined
Book:POINTS OF REBELLION
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“We have a system which, though far from perfect, is strong with idealism. It gives elbow room for men of all races and all beliefs. It is vital and dynamic. And it works. We have the means of shaping the world in our pattern. If we do, freedom will be assured for all men. The decision is in the hands of this generation. It is a challenge to our political competence. For Western civilization it is the greatest challenge of all time.”

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Author:William O. Douglas
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“The truth is that a vast restructuring of our society is needed if remedies are to become available to the average person. Without that restructuring the good will that holds society together will be slowly dissipated... It is that sense of futility which permeates the present series of protests and dissents. Where there is a persistent sense of futility, there is violence; and that is where we are today.”

IfsPersonsTodayTogetherViolenceNeededTruth IsSeriesAverageAvailableOur SocietyProtestRemedyPersistentGood WillDissentFutilityAverage PersonRestructuring
Book:POINTS OF REBELLION
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“Realization of this need means adults must awaken to the urgency of the young people's unrest-in other words there must be created an adult unrest against the inequities and injustices in the present system. If the government is in jeopardy, it is not because we are unable to cope with revolutionary situations. Jeopardy means that either the leaders or the people do not realize they have all the tools required to make the revolution come true. The tools and the opportunity exist. Only the moral imagination is missing.”

PeopleIfsNeedsMeanGovernmentYoungOpportunityRealizingImaginationSituationLibertyLeaderMoralMissingRevolutionAdultsToolsInjusticeRealizationRevolutionaryDissentUrgencyUnrestJeopardy
Book:POINTS OF REBELLION
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