There are a number of people who have had things to say about “justice” and doing the right thing:
This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice – attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
The trouble with the laws these days is that criminals know their rights better than their wrongs – Unknown author
Punishment is now unfashionable … because it creates moral distinctions among men, which, to the democratic mind, are odious. We prefer a meaningless collective guilt to a meaningful individual responsibility – attributed to Thomas Szasz
No man suffers injustice without learning, vaguely but surely, what justice is – attributed to Isaac Rosenfeld
Although the legal and ethical definitions of right are the antithesis of each other, most writers use them as synonyms. They confuse power with goodness, and mistake law for justice – attributed to Charles T. Sprading, Freedom and its Fundamentals
But how is this legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime – attributed to Frederic Bastiat, The Law
Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished – attributed to William Ernest Hocking
It is not a Justice System. It is just a system – attributed to Bob Enyart
Law is not justice and a trial is not a scientific inquiry into truth. A trial is the resolution of a dispute – attributed to Edison Haines
There is no such thing as justice – in or out of court – attributed to Clarence Darrow, 1936
Judges are but men, and are swayed like other men by vehement prejudices. This is corruption in reality, give it whatever other name you please – attributed to David Dudley Field
Two wrongs are only the beginning – attributed to Kohn
Justice: A decision in your favour – Unknown author.
Anyone can admit they were wrong; the true test is admitting it to someone else – Unknown author.
Abandon the search for truth; settle for a good fantasy – Unknown author.
Whoever tells the best story wins. – John Quincy Adams
Ignorance of the law excuses no man – from practicing it – Adison Mizner
In almost every case, you have to read between the lies – Angie Papadakis
A man is innocent until proven broke – Anonymous
Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph – attributed to Haile Selassie
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere – attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice – attributed to Charles de Montesquieu
Useless laws weaken the necessary laws – attributed to Charles de Montesquieu
Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both – attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt
Fidelity is the sister of justice – attributed to Horace
Clouds and darkness surround us, yet Heaven is just, and the day of triumph will surely come, when justice and truth will be vindicated – attributed to Mary Todd Lincoln
Justice in the life and conduct of the State is possible only as first it resides in the hearts and souls of the citizens – attributed to Plato
Fairness is what justice really is – attributed to Potter Stewart
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse – attributed to Edmund Burke
Now all we need is to continue to speak the truth fearlessly, and we shall add to our number those who will turn the scale to the side of equal and full justice in all things – attributed to Lucy Stone
Justice is sweet and musical; but injustice is harsh and discordant – attributed to Henry David Thoreau
Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just – attributed to Blaise Pascal
If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us – attributed to Francis Bacon
Lawyers have their duties as citizens, but they also have special duties as lawyers. Their obligations go far deeper than earning a living as specialists in … law. They have a continuing responsibility to uphold the fundamental principles of justice from which the law cannot depart. Robert Kennedy
Justice is the foremost virtue of the civilizing races. It subdues the barbarous nations, while injustice aroused the weakest – attributed to Jose Rizal
The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts – attributed to James Joyce
Knowledge which is divorces from justice, may be called cunning rather than wisdom – attributed to Marcus Tullius Cicero
A sovereignty is always presumed to act upon principles of justice, and if, from mistake or oversight, it does injury to … an individual, it is always supposed to be ready and willing to repair it – attributed to Roger B Taney
I was taught that the search for truth and the search for justice are not incompatible and are, in fact, essential – attributed to Gwen Hill
Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t – attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt
True freedom requires the rule of law and justice, and a judicial system in which the rights of some are not secured by the denial of rights to others – attributed to Jonathan Sacks
The fight for justice against corruption is never easy. It never has been and never will be. It exacts a toll on our self, our families, our friends, and especially our children. In the end, I believe, as in my case, the price we pay is well worth holding on to our dignity – attributed to Frank Serpico
There is no compromise when it comes to corruption. You have to fight it – attributed to A. K. Antony
It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have – attributed to James A. Baldwin
People pay for what they do, and still more for what they have allowed themselves to become. And they pay for it very simply; by the lives they lead – attributed to James A. Baldwin
We must weed out corruption and build a strong system of justice that the people can trust – attributed to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Justice will overtake fabricators of lies and false witnesses – attributed to Heraclitus
The measure of a man is what he does with power – attributed to Plato
I have found the following quotes very helpful; they also encourage me to not lower myself to the standards of others:
We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope – attributed to Martin Luther King
Take note, take note oh world, to be direct and honest is not safe – attributed to Shakespeare expressed a warning in Othello, Iago speaking
The right to search for the truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be the truth – attributed to Albert Einstein
… if any of you … had a mind to make himself heard a mile off, you must make a bonfire of your reputations and a close enemy of most men who would wish you well… I give you this one rule of conduct. Do what you will, but speak out always. Be shunned, be hated, be ridiculed, be scared, be in doubt, but don’t be gagged. The time of trial is always. Now is the appointed time – from The Cluetrain Manifesto.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear – attributed to Ambrose Redmoon
Our policy is, when in doubt, do the right thing – attributed to Roy Ash
The important thing is never to stop questioning – attributed to Albert Einstein
You must be the change you wish to see in the world – attributed to Gandhi
It is what you stand for, and what you stand against, that matters – attributed to Angelina Jolie
The high-minded man must care more for the truth than for what people think – attributed to Aristotle
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing – attributed to Edmund Burke
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little – attributed to Edmund Burke
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent – attributed to Edmund Burke
Justice is the truth in action – attributed to Joseph Joubert
You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life – attributed to Winston Churchill
I have tried to do the right thing and to be brave enough to tell it like it is. Sadly, truth is often not appreciated, and it is very sad when others get affronted by the truth and take action against you, particularly fraudulent action which they convince the judiciary is truthful.