I confess that I cannot understand how we can plot, lie, cheat and commit murder abroad and remain humane, honorable, trustworthy and trusted at home.
Archibald CoxRead
Through the centuries, men of law have been persistently concerned with the resolution of disputes in ways that enable society to achieve its goals with a minimum of force and maximum of reason.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of resolving conflicts through rational discourse rather than force.
Archibald Cox highlights the historical role of legal professionals in addressing societal disputes. By advocating for resolutions that prioritize reason over violence, the legal framework serves to uphold societal goals and maintain order, demonstrating a commitment to justice through intellectual engagement.
In practice
During a legal seminar discussing the role of mediation in modern law.
I confess that I cannot understand how we can plot, lie, cheat and commit murder abroad and remain humane, honorable, trustworthy and trusted at home.
Labor is the curse of the world, and nobody can meddle with it without becoming proportionately brutalized.
Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90. Time is a concept that humans created.
I recognize in thieves, traitors and murderers, in the ruthless and the cunning, a deep beauty - a sunken beauty.
The gift of language is the single human trait that marks us all genetically, setting us apart from the rest of life.
For when is death not within our selves? And as Heracleitus says: “Living and dead are the same, and so are awake and asleep, young and old. The former when shifted are the latter, and again the latter when shifted are the former."
I never make a distinction between private life and politics - that's a petit bourgeois thing. How can you make a stand against Nazi Germany, or in Rwanda, when you live life by making that distinction?
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