Law cannot stand aside from the social changes around it.
William J. BrennanRead
If our free society is to endure, those who govern must recognize human dignity and accept the enforcement of constitutional limitations on their power conceived by the Framers . . . . Such recognition will not come from a technical understanding of the organs of government, or the new forms of wealth they administer. It requires something different, something deeper-a personal confrontation with the wellsprings of our society.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Governance should prioritize human dignity and constitutional limits to sustain a free society.
The quote from William J. Brennan emphasizes the importance of recognizing and respecting human dignity as a fundamental principle within governance. It suggests that true understanding of societal values and the responsibilities of power goes beyond mere technical knowledge; it demands a profound and personal engagement with the core ideals that uphold democracy and freedom.
Themes
GovernanceHuman DignityConstitutional LimitsSocietyPower
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of ethical governance.
More from William J. Brennan
All quotes →At bottom, the battle has been waged on moral grounds. The country has debated whether a society for which the dignity of the individual is the supreme value can, without a fundamental inconsistency, follow the practice of deliberately putting one of its members to death.
William J. BrennanRead
There can be no doubt that our Nation has had a long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination. Traditionally, such discrimination was rationalized by an attitude of "romantic paternalism" which, in practical effect, put women, not on a pedestal, but in a cage.
William J. BrennanRead
Use of a mentally ill person's involuntary confession is antithetical to the notion of fundamental fairness embodied in the due process clause.
William J. BrennanRead
The Framers of the Bill of Rights did not purport to 'create' rights. Rather, they designed the Bill of Rights to prohibit our Government from infringing rights and liberties presumed to be preexisting.
William J. BrennanRead
Congress acknowledged that society's accumulated myths and fears about disability and disease are as handicapping as are the physical limitations that flow from actual impairment.
William J. BrennanRead
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