Lewis B. Smedes Quotes

The wise man will not pardon any crime that ought to be punished, but he will accomplish, in a nobler way, all that is sought in pardoning. He will spare some and watch over some, because of their youth, and others on account of their ignorance. His clemency will not fall short of justice, but will fulfill it perfectly.

To me, I think justice is part of forgiving, if it is well done with love.

Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.

When critics sit in judgment it is hard to tell where justice leaves off and vengeance begins.

Judges shall judge justly, according to the written law and not according to their own judgment.

Mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.

Everyone will be judged one day, but it's not up to me to judge somebody.

If Justice is pictured blindfold, it is because she judges causes, not men, and not because the prime faculty of an arbitrator is lack of discernment.

Irritable Judges suffer from a bad case of premature adjudication.

Oh, wise young judge.

A wise judge, by the craft of the law, was never seduced from its purpose.

It is better that a judge should lean on the side of compassion than severity.

The judge weighs the arguments and puts a brave face on the matter, and since there must be a decision, decides as he can, and hopes he has done justice and given satisfaction to the community

Four things belong to a judge: to hear courteously, to answer wisely, to consider soberly, and to decide impartially.

Some lawyers and judges may have forgotten it, but the purpose of the court system is to produce justice, not slavish obedience to the law.

It is surely better to pardon too much, than to condemn too much.

Good deal: justice for you, mercy for me.

The good judge is not he who does hair-splitting justice to every allegation, but who, aiming at substantial justice, rules something intelligible of the guidance of suitors.

The public welfare demands that constitutional cases must be decided according to the terms of the Constitution itself, and not according to judges views of fairness, reasonableness, or justice. I have no fear of constitutional amendments properly adopted, but I do fear the rewriting of the Constitution by judges under the guise of interpretation.

It would then be most admirably adapted to the purposes of justice, if laws properly enacted were, as far as circumstances admitted, of themselves to mark out all cases, and to abandon as few as possible to the discretion of the judge.

Mercy detached from justice grows unmerciful.

And it is the Lord, it is Jesus, Who is my judge. Therefore I will try always to think leniently of others, that He may judge me leniently, or rather not at all, since He says: "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged.

Compassion is where peace and justice kiss

I wouldn't judge a man by the presuppositions of his life, but only by the fruits of his life. And the fruits - the relevant fruits - are, I'd say, a sense of charity, a sense of proportion, a sense of justice.