“There is no surer way to misread any document than to read it literally. … As nearly as we can, we must put ourselves in the place of those who uttered the words, and try to divine how they would have dealt with the unforeseen situation; and, although their words are by far the most decisive evidence of what they would have done, they are by no means final.”

—  Learned Hand

Giuseppe v. Walling (1944).
Judicial opinions

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Learned Hand 56
American legal scholar, Court of Appeals judge 1872–1961

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