Earl Warren quotes

Earl Warren was an American jurist and politician who served as the 14th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. His leadership was instrumental in landmark decisions that advanced civil rights and liberties, including the famous Brown v. Board of Education case. He became known as one of the most influential Chief Justices in American history. Here are 54 of his quotes:

In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics.

Earl Warren

Many people consider the things government does for them to be social progress but they regard the things government does for others as socialism.

Earl Warren

I always turn to the sports section first. The sports section records people's accomplishments; the front page nothing but man's failures.

Earl Warren

I hate banks. They do nothing positive for anybody except take care of themselves. They're first in with their fees and first out when there's trouble.

Earl Warren

Liberty, not communism, is the most contagious force in the world.

Earl Warren

The censor's sword pierces deeply into the heart of free expression.

Earl Warren

I'm very pleased with each advancing year. It stems back to when I was forty. I was a bit upset about reaching that milestone, but an older friend consoled me. 'Don't complain about growing old--many, many people do not have that privilege.'

Earl Warren

If it is a mistake of the head and not the heart don't worry about it, that's the way we learn.

Earl Warren

You sit up there, and you see the whole gamut of human nature. Even if the case being argued involves only a little fellow and $50, it involves justice. That's what is important.

Earl Warren

It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.

Earl Warren

The man of character, sensitive to the meaning of what he is doing, will know how to discover the ethical paths in the maze of possible behavior.

Earl Warren

We may not know the whole story in our lifetime.

Earl Warren

The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual.

Earl Warren

If Nixon is not forced to turn over tapes of his conversations with the ring of men who were conversing on their violations of the law, then liberty will soon be dead in this nation. If Nixon gets away with that, then Nixon makes the law as he goes along - not the Congress nor the courts. The old Court you and I served so long will not be worthy of its traditions if Nixon can twist, turn and fashion the law as he sees fit.

Earl Warren

The police must obey the law while enforcing the law.

Earl Warren

The abhorrence of society to the use of involuntary confessions does not turn alone on their inherent untrustworthiness. It also turns on the deep-rooted feeling that the police must obey the law while enforcing the law; that, in the end, life and liberty can be as much endangered from illegal methods used to convict those thought to be criminals as from the actual criminals themselves.

Earl Warren

To summarize: Americans have one of the greatest legal systems, but not a monopoly of the sense of justice, which is universal; nor have we a permanent copyright on the means of securing justice, for it is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.

Earl Warren

The only reason that there has been no sabotage or espionage on the part of Japanese-Americans is that they are waiting for the right moment to strike.

Earl Warren

It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defence, we would sanction the subversion of one of those liberties which make the defence of our nation worthwhile.

Earl Warren

To separate children from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.

Earl Warren

In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.

Earl Warren

Legislators represent people, not trees or acres. Legislators are elected by voters, not farms or cities or economic interests.

Earl Warren