Michel De Montaigne (1533–1592) (1533-1592) French-Occitan author, humanistic philosopher, statesman
“If the Laws could speak for themselves, they would complain of the Lawyers in the first Place.”
Of Laws.
Political, Moral, and Miscellaneous Reflections (1750), Political Thoughts and Reflections
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Do you have more details about the quote "If the Laws could speak for themselves, they would complain of the Lawyers in the first Place." by George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax?
George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax65
English politician 1633–1695Related quotes
William O. Douglas (1898–1980) Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Dissenting, DeFunis v. Odegaard, 416 U.S. 342 (1974)
Judicial opinions
John E. Sununu (1964) American politician
Sununu: No quick fix for health costs http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061203/REPOSITORY/612030359, Concord Monitor (December 3, 2006)
“Lawyer – One skilled in the circumvention of the law.”
Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914) American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist
“The leaders and scholars of Jesus’ time had first enslaved themselves to the law.”
Albert Nolan (1934) South African priest and activist
Source: Jesus Before Christianity: The Gospel of Liberation (1976), p. 71.
Context: The leaders and scholars of Jesus’ time had first enslaved themselves to the law. This not only enhanced their prestige in society, it also gave them a sense of security. Man fears the responsibility of being free. It is often easier to let others make the decisions or to rely upon the letter of the law. Some men want to be slaves. After enslaving themselves to the letter of the law, such men always go on to deny freedom to others. They will not rest until they have imposed the same oppressive burdens upon everyone (Matt 23:4,15).
Henry James Sumner Maine (1822–1888) British comparative jurist and historian
‘Dissertations on Early Law and Custom’ (1883) ch. 11.
“The negative principle that no law is free law, is not much known except among lawyers.”
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) 16th President of the United States
1850s, Speech at Peoria, Illinois (1854)
“There are no rules that say lawyers cannot write or speak from their heart.”
Gerry Spence (1929) American lawyer
Source: How to Argue and Win Every Time (1995), Ch. 7 : The Power of Words, p. 104
Context: There are no rules that say lawyers cannot write or speak from their heart. Passion has never been formally outlawed, although it is a little-known experience among most lawyers and nearly all academicians.
“Lawyers are the only persons in whom ignorance of the law is not punished.”
Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) British philosopher, jurist, and social reformer
Attributed to Bentham in The Dictionary of Humorous Quotations (1949) by Evan Esar, p. 29; no earlier sources for this have been located.
Disputed