There are many things which we can afford to forget which it is yet well to learn.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
The provisions of the Constitution are not mathematical formulas having their essence in their form; they are organic, living institutions transplanted from English soil. Their significance is vital, not formal; it is to be gathered not simply by taking the words and a dictionary, but by considering their origin and the line of their growth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Constitution should be understood in a broader context than mere words and formulas; it's a living document shaped by history.
This quote emphasizes that the Constitution is not just a set of rigid rules to be dissected like mathematical formulas; rather, it is a dynamic and evolving framework that reflects the complexities of society. To truly grasp its significance, one must consider its historical origins and the context in which it has developed, recognizing that its meaning is rooted in the living traditions of governance and society, not just its textual phrases.
Themes
ConstitutionMeaningLawGrowthHistory
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about the interpretation of the Constitution in a law class.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
All quotes →On the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth of life as an end in itself, as against the saints who deny it.
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If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.
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Why should you row a boat race? Why endure the long months of pain in preparation for a fierce half hour that will leave you all but dead? Does anyone ask the question? Is there anyone who would not go through all the costs, and more, for the moment when anguish breaks into triumph or even for the glory of having nobly lost? Is life less than a boat race? If a man will give the blood in his body to win the one, will he spend all the might of his soul to prevail in the other?
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The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
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Beware how you take away hope from another human being.
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