I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Abraham LincolnRead
A private soldier has as much right to justice as a major-general.
Interpretation
Justice should be equally accessible to everyone, regardless of rank or status in society.
This quote by Abraham Lincoln emphasizes the fundamental principle of justice that it must be blind to social or military ranks. Lincoln asserts that every individual, whether a lowly private or a high-ranking officer like a major-general, deserves the same level of fairness, rights, and legal protection. This notion reinforces the idea that true equality is a cornerstone of a just society.
In practice
Discussing the importance of fairness in a community meeting.
I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then is due to the soldier.
And having thus chosen our course, without guile, and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear, and with manly hearts.
Mass incarceration is a massive system of racial and social control.
There can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a man gets depends on the amount of money he has.
Justice prevails over transgression when she comes to the end of the race.
Promoting active liberty does not mean allowing the majority to run roughshod over minorities. It calls for taking special care that all groups have a chance to fully participate in society and the political process.
Mass incarceration and its never-ending human toll will be with us until we come to see that no crime justifies permanent civic death.
A judge can't have any preferred outcome in any particular case. The judge's only obligation - and it's a solemn obligation - is to the rule of law.
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