Lawyers spend a great deal of their time shoveling smoke.

Quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

Topics: Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr Quotes

A new and valid idea is worth more than a regiment and fewer men can...

A new and valid idea is worth more than a regiment and fewer men can...

It seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more...

It seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more...

The great act of faith is when a man decides he is not God.

The great act of faith is when a man decides he is not God.

People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail.

People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail.

Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things that...

Certitude is not the test of certainty. We have been cocksure of many things that...

Carve every word before you let it fall.

Carve every word before you let it fall.

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a...

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a...

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you...

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you...

Beware how you take away hope from any human being.

Beware how you take away hope from any human being.

Don't be 'consistent,' but be simply true.

Don't be 'consistent,' but be simply true.

The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye. The more light...

The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye. The more light...

I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing...

I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing...

Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is...

Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is...

There is no friend like an old friend who has shared our morning days, no...

There is no friend like an old friend who has shared our morning days, no...

To be 70 years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be...

To be 70 years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be...

Man's mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.

Man's mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.

You commit a sin of omission if you do not utilize all the power that...

You commit a sin of omission if you do not utilize all the power that...

He that waits upon fortune is never sure of a dinner.

He that waits upon fortune is never sure of a dinner.

Persistence of action comes from persistence of vision

Persistence of action comes from persistence of vision

Our every action is a battle cry against imperialism, and a battle hymn for the...

Our every action is a battle cry against imperialism, and a battle hymn for the...

Presidents do make mistakes, but the immortal Dante tells us that divine justice weighs the...

Presidents do make mistakes, but the immortal Dante tells us that divine justice weighs the...