“Hard cases, it has been frequently observed, are apt to introduce bad law.”

“Young men are apt to think themselves wise enough, as drunken men are apt to think themselves sober enough.”

“It has always struck me that one of the readiest ways of estimating a country's regard for law is to notice what arms the officers of the law are carrying: in England it is little batons, in France swords, in many countries revolvers, and in Russia the police used to have artillery.”

“A writer who’s a pro can take on almost any assignment, but if he or she doesn’t much care about the subject, I try to dissuade the writer, as in that case the book can be just plain hard labor.”

“Oersted would never have made his great discovery of the action of galvanic currents on magnets had he stopped in his researches to consider in what manner they could possibly be turned to practical account; and so we would not now be able to boast of the wonders done by the electric telegraphs. Indeed, no great law in Natural Philosophy has ever been discovered for its practical implications, but the instances are innumerable of investigations apparently quite useless in this narrow sense of the word which have led to the most valuable results.”

“In 1969 I published a small book on Humility. It was a pioneering work which has not, to my knowledge, been superceded.”

“Ever wonder if you've done the right thing?" I asked him finally."Frequently," he replied. "Legalities notwithstanding, to not wonder indicates a dangerous lack of awareness of the near-infinite array of choices presented by life. More tea?”