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History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure.

Thurgood Marshall

I’m the world’s original gradualist. I just think ninety-odd years is gradual enough.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Enough Myself Thinking World
It is a historic step toward eliminating the shameful practice of racial discrimination in the selection of juries.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Discrimination History Practice Race Selection Shame
None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody – a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns – bent down and helped us pick up our boots.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Help Journey Ourselves Parents Teacher
I cannot accept this invitation for I do not believe that the meaning of the Constitution was forever ‘fixed’ at the Philadelphia Convention… To the contrary, the government they devised was defective from the start. [Progressive]
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Acceptance Believe Constitution Forever Government Myself Start
If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a state has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his house, what books he may read or what films he may watch.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Alone Business Himself Home Law Man Meaning Movie Reading Rule See
Mere access to the courthouse doors does not by itself assure a proper functioning of the adversary process.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Access Function
The death penalty is no more effective a deterrent than life imprisonment. It is also evident that the burden of capital punishment falls upon the poor, the ignorant and the underprivileged members of society.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Death Fall Ignorance Life Poor Prison Privilege Society
Today’s Constitution is a realistic document of freedom only because of several corrective amendments. Those amendments speak to a sense of decency and fairness that I and other Blacks cherish.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Black Constitution Enjoyment Fair Myself Ourselves Talk
To protest against injustice is the foundation of all our American democracy.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Democracy Foundation Injustice Ourselves
Ending racial discrimination in jury selection can be accomplished only by eliminating peremptory challenges entirely.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Accomplishment Challenge Discrimination End Race Selection
Surely the fact that a uniformed police officer is wearing his hair below his collar will make him no less identifiable as a policeman.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Fact Hairs Identify Man
Sometimes history takes things into its own hands.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Hands History
The process of democracy is one of change. Our laws are not frozen into immutable form, they are constantly in the process of revision in response to the needs of a changing society.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Change Democracy Law Oneself Recognition Response Society
Equal means getting the same thing, at the same time and in the same place.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Equality Justice Law Place Time
The measure of a country’s greatness is its ability to retain compassion in time of crisis.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Ability Compassionate Country Greatness Time
Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men’s minds.
THURGOOD MARSHALL

Constitution Control Government Heritage Man Mindset Power Thinking

History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure.

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History teaches that grave threats to liberty often come in times of urgency, when constitutional rights seem too extravagant to endure.

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Popular Authors

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