Earl Warren quotes

Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile, I caught hell for. (Earl Warren)
In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics. View quote
Earl Warren
Many people consider the things government does for them to be social progress but they regard the things government does for others as socialism. View quote
Earl Warren
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports section records people's accomplishments; the front page nothing but man's failures. View quote
Earl Warren
I hate banks. They do nothing positive for anybody except take care of themselves. They're first in with their fees and first out when there's trouble. View quote
Earl Warren
Liberty, not communism, is the most contagious force in the world. View quote
Earl Warren
The censor's sword pierces deeply into the heart of free expression. View quote
Earl Warren
I'm very pleased with each advancing year. It stems back to when I was forty. I was a bit upset about reaching that milestone, but an older friend consoled me. 'Don't complain about growing old--many, many people do not have that privilege.' View quote
Earl Warren
If it is a mistake of the head and not the heart don't worry about it, that's the way we learn. View quote
Earl Warren
You sit up there, and you see the whole gamut of human nature. Even if the case being argued involves only a little fellow and $50, it involves justice. That's what is important. View quote
Earl Warren
Prior to any questioning, the person must be warned that he has a right to remain silent, that any statement he does make may be used as evidence against him and that he has a right to the presence of an attorney, either retained or appointed. (Earl Warren)
It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive. View quote
Earl Warren
The man of character, sensitive to the meaning of what he is doing, will know how to discover the ethical paths in the maze of possible behavior. View quote
Earl Warren
We may not know the whole story in our lifetime. View quote
Earl Warren
The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual. View quote
Earl Warren
If Nixon is not forced to turn over tapes of his conversations with the ring of men who were conversing on their violations of the law, then liberty will soon be dead in this nation. If Nixon gets away with that, then Nixon makes the law as he goes along - not the Congress nor the courts. The old Court you and I served so long will not be worthy of its traditions if Nixon can twist, turn and fashion the law as he sees fit. View quote
Earl Warren
The police must obey the law while enforcing the law. View quote
Earl Warren
The abhorrence of society to the use of involuntary confessions does not turn alone on their inherent untrustworthiness. It also turns on the deep-rooted feeling that the police must obey the law while enforcing the law; that, in the end, life and liberty can be as much endangered from illegal methods used to convict those thought to be criminals as from the actual criminals themselves. View quote
Earl Warren
To summarize: Americans have one of the greatest legal systems, but not a monopoly of the sense of justice, which is universal; nor have we a permanent copyright on the means of securing justice, for it is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive. View quote
Earl Warren
The only reason that there has been no sabotage or espionage on the part of Japanese-Americans is that they are waiting for the right moment to strike. View quote
Earl Warren
A society, in the process of moving forward, often appears to be tearing itself apart. Certainly, an age of rapid change, such as ours, produces many paradoxes. But perhaps the most tragic paradox of our time is to be found in the failure of nation-states to recognize the imperatives of internationalism. (Earl Warren)
It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defence, we would sanction the subversion of one of those liberties which make the defence of our nation worthwhile. View quote
Earl Warren
To separate children from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone. View quote
Earl Warren
In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. View quote
Earl Warren
Legislators represent people, not trees or acres. Legislators are elected by voters, not farms or cities or economic interests. View quote
Earl Warren