Famous Justice Louis D. Brandeis Quote

"Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty
when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are
naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded
rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment
by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding."

by:	Justice Louis D. Brandeis (1856-1941) US Supreme Court Justice
Date:	1928
Source:	Justice Louis D. Brandeis, dissenting, Olmstead v. United States, 277 US 479 (1928)
Rating:
Categories:	Freedom, Government, Justice, Politics, Republic, Rights, Tyranny, Liberty, Terrorism
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So often our own good intentions end up serving the opposite purpose. There is no free ride. Better to let people be free than 'save' them or 'protect' them against their will.  -- Steven C., Oregon
-- Errington Thompson, Asheville
Anyone who parrots the lie that the "Patriot Act" is needed to protect us should take this quote to heart. .... But then again, those people are likely too dumb to understand...  -- Andy, Portland, OR
We were born into Freedom. We have been deceived for decades by a governmental plan detailed to enslave us. It was so subtle we did not know much. NOW is the time to wake up and KICK BUTT on THIS government conspiracy to become 'Big Brother.' Please wake up and join us to regain forever, our Freedom. No more death of our men and women and children here or in other countries. PLEASE!  -- Janet Busby, Atascadero
This reminds me of something Adam Smith said about the Invisible Hand...he cautioned that while much good, when there is a free exchange, is accomplished by men seeking thier own interests, much harm is done by those who seek the good of others by legislation (read force). Funny how that works  -- m k, Houston
This completely ignores the reality of the regimes of Stalin, Mao, and Castro  -- David L. Rosenthal
David, Stalin, Mao, and Castro were all men of zeal and well meaning in their own minds. Each lacked an understanding (could be added, constructive morals) of true liberty and that is exactly the point of the quote.  -- Mike, Norwalk
Our country is no longer free, nor alert. In two years we are all supposed to have National ID cards (the Real ID Act). At that point, no card means no job, no bank account, no plane travel, no driver's license, no life! In other words "Big Brother" will have arrived. Tell congress and the senate, and write the NOT, we don't want Real IDs.  -- Joe, Rochester, MI
This quote is so aimed at King George and his henchmen... take a clue from the 80s and "just say no!"  -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US
I believe nothing short of a revolution in the hearts and minds of Americans will be required now. We are being dumbed down daily -- we are being deluded with 'good intentions' while indenturing ourselves and our children to these despots. Wake up, America, we are being conned!  -- E Archer, NYC
Mike: No matter how well meaning they might seem to themselves, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Pol Pot amd other psychopaths, killed, enslaved, or tortured millions of people. There is no way to compare them to George W. Bush, or even to Bill Clinton. Now, if Bill Clinton gets his wish and becomes secretary general of the UN, then you might want to load your weapons.  -- David L. Rosenthal
It is estimated that 45K - 50K Iraqi civilians have died since we invaded THEIR country, not to mention 2K+ US soldiers. Some estimates are 500K - 600K ... or more. How many must die before you label "W" a killer? Sending Clinton to the UN is the point our government has gone too far for you? WAKE UP! If he serves at the UN, you won't have a weapon to load. But ... you'll move your line in the sand, and say the government is STILL doing the right thing.  -- Loe, Rochester, MI
Clinton is a self-described opponent of citizen's rights, who in his own words stated that our rights need to be curbed. Is that OK with you, Loe? Or do you think it would be a good idea to put a charismatic figure like Clinton in charge of the UN agenda for destroying American ideals? And, Loe, you never answered my question about where you got your figures on this country's war spending, which you stated erroneously took most of the tax revenue. Hyperbole does not increase validity, Loe.  -- David L Rosenthal
How many Iraqi cirtizens were killed by George W. Bush? Does anyone have the statistics on this? How many were killed by Iraqis from opposing Islamic factions? How many were Kurds killed by Moslems? How many were Moslems killed by Kurds? How many were killed by foreign invaders from countries other than the USA? How many were civilians killed by Iraqi military or paramilitary or security forces or intelligence thugs under orders from Saddam's regime? Or just for the heck of it? Keep flapping your lips if it makes you feel better, Joe. But it is getting ugly.  -- David L Rosenthal
So many of our rights have already been diluted to the point that the Constitution has already been cast aside. It is already later than we think and we recite meaningless rhetoric. Wake up indeed. dmc  -- Don M, Cleveland, Tx
Liberty belongs to America and Don I agree with you about the rights thing,you know what else I think is that if these hippies get to the goverment,and this war ends this war will be on american soil...stupid terriosts!  -- Crystal L., Pittsburgh,P.A.
The current greatest danger lies in insidious encroachment of the environment that belongs to all of us by men of zeal for personal profit and gain without regard to the welfare of others. These people are polluters, poachers etcetera. Liberty is unfortunately not an absoulte value or prioirity but must be balanced by men of common sense and good will. This ENFORCEMENT of common sense and good will may appear to be an attack on LIBERTY in the short run but liberating in the long run.  -- Waffler, Smith, Arkansas
When Eisenhower left office he warned us against the military industrial complex. We are not losing our country to people whose aims are beneficent. We are losing it to people driven by greed and lust for power. Losing our liberty? Hell, we are on the way to becoming a police state. Our government can spy on us and listen to our phone conversations without reasonable cause. It is becoming easier to define anyone a terrorist. Police can now use tasers for crowd control. The ongoing war crime in Iraq has bled dry. If McCain is elected, America's already enfeebled light of freedom will be extinguished.  -- Dan G., Owings Mills, MD
We are at a crucial point in supporting liberty and perhaps reviving it. Too many of us are scared and looking for a benevolent protector and provider. History has repeatedly shown us that we must rely on our own resouces. Our most valuable and unique resource is LIBERTY.  -- FJD, Phoenix, AZ
The greatest danger to liberty doesn't lurk. It is quite apparent; the only problem is, the inability to acknowledge it, or to prevent it from happening. It being corruption.  -- teenager, laredo
very wonderfull please try to expand thanks  -- constant wani, sudan south Juba
I find the clause: "Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers" somewhat misleading. Those born since 1913 have been indoctrinated by religionists with the right and left of socialism, with the benefits thereof (a falsely perceived materialism) being called liberty. Who on the planet was born to freedom? It is inherent and inalienable of course but, where is the land that supports such Divinely given endowments? Compelled compliance, license, victimless crimes, torture as an interrogation technique, governmental larceny with impunity (theft of the noble labor's fruit, funny money, etc.), required ID, loss of Habeas Corpus, legally neutered jurors, judges run amuck, unlimited legislature, an unbridled fascist executive branch of government, an unconstitutional central bank, the beneficence of mandatory payments for healthcare (born with a slave's debt), the formalizing of communism's ten planks, The Patriot Act, preemptive wars, nation building, false flag actions becoming the norm, etc. etc. etc are all crimes (against Nature, Nature's God, and otherwise) and are all called the tenets of freedom and liberty. The once land of the free and home of the brave has lost liberty to the insidious encroachment by evil minded rulers of zeal, well-meaning (in their own self interests and gratification) but without morals, understanding, or the soul of a freeman.  -- Mike, Norwalk
Dam good dicription of cali law........  -- kimo, USA
I'm not so sure that Obama is unknowing nor is does he have the best wishes of the American people in his heart. He is a hybred Stalinist/Clinton. He seems to be well-meaning, but he speaks with flattering lips and a double heart. He says one thing, but does just the opposite as if we were all 5 years old and don't understand what he's doing. He is lucky we don't have the English Parliament system or we would have ousted him long ago with a no confidence vote. As they say in Texas, he's all hat and no cattle.  -- GunnyCee, Durham
" Of all tyrannies,a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of it's victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barrons than under omnipotent moral busibodies. The robber barrons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience". --- C.S.Lewis  -- jim k, Austin, Tx
The C.S.Lewis quote above pretty well sums up the old saying, "I'm with the government and I'm here to help you." A great example is the left wing busybodies in the EPA, along with most government bureaus.  -- jim k, Austin, Tx
jim, said very well. The government's alphabet soup of tyranny is but one of the physical examples that proves your, and the quote's accuracy.  -- Mike, Norwalk

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