William J. Brennan Jr. Quotes

We need to maintain law and order. We need to maintain peace in the world. We need to protect the environment. We need to have some degree of social justice, equality of opportunity. The markets are not designed to take care of those needs. That's a political process.

Free people can treat each other justly, but they can't make life fair. To get rid of the unfairness among individuals, you have to exercise power over them. The more fairness you want, the more power you need. Thus, all dreams of fairness become dreams of tyranny in the end.

Charity is commendable; everyone should be charitable. But justice aims to create a social order in which, if individuals choose not to be charitable, people still don't go hungry, unschooled or sick without care. Charity depends on the vicissitudes of whim and personal wealth; justice depends on commitment instead of circumstance.

It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.

Justice is indispensably and universally necessary, and what is necessary must always be limited, uniform, and distinct

As man seeks justice in equality, so society seeks order in anarchy.

Without equality, I say, there cannot be liberty.

An evident principleis the principle of justice to all peoples and nationalities, and their right to live on equal terms of liberty and safety with one another, whether they be strong or weak.

Justice is a dream. But it is a dream that we are determined to realize.

The world isn't fair, but as long as it's tilting in my direction, I find that there's a natural cap to my righteous indignation.

So I'm very happy if my words can ever inspire or empower someone who considers themselves an oppressed minority. We are all the same and we all want the same things: the right to be happy, to be just who we want to be and to love who we want to love.

"From what I have seen here," remarked Sancho, "justice is so good a thing that even robbers find it necessary."

Justice is the constant and eternal purpose that renders to each his due.

Well, I think I’m a feminist, just by the virtue of the fact that I believe in equal rights for everyone.

Before God and high heaven, is there a law for one man which is not a law for every other man?

Canada must be progressive, and Canada must be a just society.

Justice for all children is the high ideal in a democracy.

In our hearts and in our laws, we must treat all our people with fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. . . .

Freedom must be demanded and defended, by those who have been denied it and by those who are already free.

Justice is Equality...but equality of what?

The Internet is accelerating the speed of acceptance and social justice.

Peace without justice is an impossibility.

Freedom is a hard-bought thing and millions are in chains, but they strain toward the new day drawing near.

Throughout the ages advanced souls have yearned for a society in which liberty and justice prevail. Men have sought for it, fought for it, have died for it. Ancient freemen prized it; slaves longed for it; the Magna Charta demanded it; the Constitution of the United States declared it.

Founded on the principles of private initiative, entrepreneurship and self-employment, underpinned by the values of democracy, equality and solidarity, the co-operative movement can help pave the way to a more just and inclusive economic order.