23 Notable Quotes By Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow was a prolific American lawyer and a prominent member of the American Civil Liberties Union. Darrow gained reputation of defending criminals in high profile cases such as advocating for Ossian Sweet and John T. Scopes in the Scopes "Monkey" Trial and teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb for murdering Robert Franks. Tagged as the “sophisticated country lawyer”, Darrow had been extrusive in his support for Georgist Economic Reform. His other works include hardbacks such as Crime: Its Cause and Treatment, The Myth of the Soul and Closing Arguments on Religion, Law and Society. He is remembered for being the greatest criminal defense lawyer and a vicious litigator, who won many cases single handedly, against all odds. Many onscreen adaptation of his high profile cases have been showcased in movies such as Compulsion, Alleged and Defendant: Clarence Darrow. Zoom through these lines from this fierce advocate.
I have always felt that doubt was the beginning of wisdom, and the fear of God was the end of wisdom.
I do not consider it an insult, but rather a compliment to be called an agnostic. I do not pretend to know where many ignorant men are sure — that is all that agnosticism means.
You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free.
The world is made up for the most part of morons and natural tyrants, sure of themselves, strong in their own opinions, never doubting anything.
The fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God is the death of wisdom. Skepticism and doubt lead to study and investigation, and investigation is the beginning of wisdom.
When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. I’m beginning to believe it.
Chase after the truth like all hell and you’ll free yourself, even though you never touch its coat tails.
It’s not bad people I fear so much as good people. When a person is sure that he is good, he is nearly hopeless; he gets cruel- he believes in punishment.
Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to?
I have suffered from being misunderstood, but I would have suffered a hell of a lot more if I had been understood.
Nothing is so loved by tyrants as obedient subjects.
The purpose of man is like the purpose of a pollywog - to wiggle along as far as he can without dying; or, to hang to life until death takes him.
As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and if no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever.
History repeats itself. That's one of the things wrong with history.
You can only be free if I am free.
The true man neither guiltily conceals nor anxiously explains nor vulgarly parades.
Sympathy is the child of imagination
A criminal is a person with predatory instincts; but, without sufficient capital to form a corporation.
I believe that religion is the belief in future life and in God. I don't believe in either. I don't believe in God as I don’t believe in Mother Goose.
Ignorance and fanaticism is ever busy and needs feeding. Always it is feeding and gloating for more.
It does not make much difference what kind of a law we make as long as the judges tell us what it means.
No law was ever made by the people; they are made for the people
Money has been the most serious handicap that we have ever met. There are times when poverty is fortunate
