52 Quotes by Benjamin N. Cardozo

The great tides and currents which engulf the rest of men do not turn aside in their course and pass the judges by.

Membership in the bar is a privilege burdened with conditions.

The prophet and the martyr do not see the hooting throng. Their eyes are fixed on the eternities.

In truth, I am nothing but a plodding mediocrity – please observe, a plodding mediocrity – for a mere mediocrity does not go very far, but a plodding one gets quite a distance. There is joy in that success, and a distinction can come from courage, fidelity and industry.

We seek to find peace of mind in the word, the formula, the ritual. The hope is illusion.

Inaction without more is not tantamount to choice.

Justice is not to be taken by storm. She is to be wooed by slow advances.

Consequences cannot alter statutes, but may help to fix their meaning.

The great ideals of liberty and equality are preserved against the assaults of opportunism, the expediency of the passing hour, the erosion of small encroachments, the scorn and derision of those who have no patience with general principles.