Felix Frankfurter Quotes

Liberty of thought soon shrivels without freedom of expression. Nor can truth be pursued in an atmosphere hostile to the endeavor or under dangers which are hazarded only by heroes.

A court which yields to the popular will thereby licenses itself to practice despotism, for there can be no assurance that it will not, on another occasion, indulge its own will.

Morals are three-quarters manners.

The indispensible judicial requisite is intellectual humility.

We recognize that stare decisis embodies an important social policy that represents an element of continuity in law and is rooted in the psychological need to satisfy reasonable expectations.

It is important not to give the appearance of a predisposed mind. And it is more important not to let the mind become predisposed.

It is hostile to a democratic system to involve the judiciary in the politics of the people.

Freedom of the press is not an end in itself but a means to the end of achieving a free society.

I don't like a man to be too efficient. He's likely to be not human enough.

It is a fair summary of history to say that the safeguards of liberty have frequently been forged in cases involving not very nice people.

To some lawyers all facts are created equal.

The Court's authority - possessed of neither the purse nor the sword -ultimately rests on substantial public confidence in its moral sanctions.

Wisdom too often never comes, so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.