“I fear you do not fully comprehend the danger of abridging the liberties of the people. Nothing but the sternest necessity can ever justify it. A government had better go to the extreme of toleration, than to do aught that could be construed into an interference with, or to jeopardize in any degree, the common rights of its citizens.” PeopleGovernmentCommonLibertyRightsDangerCitizensDegreesExtremesJustifyInterferenceTolerationJeopardize Book:State papers, 1861-1865 Source: State papers, 1861-1865
“Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill it teaches the whole people by example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that in the administration of the criminal law the end justifies the means - to declare that the Government may commit crimes in order to secure the conviction of a private criminal - would bring terrible retributions.” PeopleIfsMenMayMeanEndsWholeGovernmentLawOrderLibertyTeachTeacherCrimeExampleTerribleIllConvictionCriminalsEvery ManCommitSecureAdministrationJustifyAnarchyContemptInvitesContagiousRetributionLiberty And JusticeCriminal LawEnds Justify The MeansConflicting Opinions Author:Louis D. Brandeis
“Liberty, as we all know, cannot flourish in a country that is permanently on a war footing, or even a near war footing. Permanent crisis justifies permanent control of everybody and everything by the agencies of central government.” KnowsWarCountryGovernmentLibertyCrisisPermanentAgencyJustifyCentral Government Author:Aldous Huxley
“The whole point of religious faith, its strength and chief glory, is that it does not depend on rational justification. The rest of us are expected to defend our prejudices. But ask a religious person to justify their faith and you infringe 'religious liberty'.” PersonsDoeWholeFaithAsksReligiousLibertyDependsGloryPrejudiceExpectedRationalChiefsJustifyJustificationReligious FaithReligious LibertyReligious PersonGod Delusion Book:The God Delusion Source: The God Delusion
“Active liberty is particularly at risk when law restricts speech directly related to the shaping of public opinion, for example, speech that takes place in areas related to politics and policy-making by elected officials. That special risk justifies especially strong pro-speech judicial presumptions. It also justifies careful review whenever the speech in question seeks to shape public opinion, particularly if that opinion in turn will affect the political process and the kind of society in which we live.” IfsKindLawPoliticalTurnsStrongProcessLibertyOpinionRiskSpecialPolicyExampleShapesSpeechAreasCarefulActiveRelatedOfficialsJustifyReviewsFreedom Of SpeechPublic OpinionJudicialPresumptionElected OfficialsLive FreePublic OfficialsPolicy Making Author:Stephen Breyer
“The State may justify a limitation on religious liberty by showing it is essential to accomplish an overriding governmental interest.” MayStatesChristianInterestReligiousLibertyEssentialsAccomplishLimitationJustifyReligious Liberty Author:Warren E. Burger
“Good intentions will always be pleaded, for every assumption of power; but they cannot justify it ... It is hardly too strong to say, that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intention, real or pretended.” PeopleMadeRealStrongLibertyDangerGunConstitutionIntentionLibertarianTyrannyAssumptionJustifyFreedom And LibertyGood IntentionsFreedom LibertyProperty RightsLimited GovernmentForefathersLimiting GovernmentRights And FreedomsPro GunLibertarian PartyPower And ControlUs ConstitutionAnti Gun Book:The speeches of Daniel Webster and his master-pieces Source: The speeches of Daniel Webster and his master-pieces
“I accept that in a free society you have to justify reductions in people's liberties. I accept that, bearing in mind my starting point is that the most important human right is the right to life.” PeopleMindHumansImportantLibertyAcceptingStartingJustifyReductionFree SocietyStarting PointRight To Life Author:John Howard
“Anyone who becomes master of a city accustomed to freedom and does not destroy it may expect to be destroyed by it; for such a city may always justify rebellion in the name of liberty and its ancient institutions.” MayDoeNamesCitiesLibertyMastersInstitutionsAncientDestroyedJustifyRebellionAccustomed Author:Niccolo Machiavelli
“Complete liberty of contradicting and disproving our opinion, is the very condition which justifies us in assuming its truth for purposes of action.” ActionPurposeLibertyOpinionConditionsAssumingJustifyContradicting Author:John Stuart Mill
“That's when civil liberty suffers - when we think special times justify the diminution of civil liberties. And I'm not going to accept that.” ThinkingSufferingLibertyAcceptingSpecialJustifyCivil Liberties Author:Alan Dershowitz