The dominant purpose of the First Amendment was to prohibit the widespread practice of government suppression of embarrassing information. William O. Douglas More Quotes by William O. Douglas More Quotes From William O. Douglas Hiking a ridge, a meadow, or a river bottom, is as healthy a form of exercise as one can get. Hiking seems to put all the body cells back into rhythm. Ten to twenty miles on a trail puts one to bed with his cares unraveled. William O. Douglas cells nature exercise The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of people. William O. Douglas libertarian-party government america Sunlight is the best disinfectant. William O. Douglas sunlight honesty The privacy and dignity of our citizens is being whittled away by sometimes imperceptible steps. Taken individually, each step may be of little consequence. But when viewed as a whole, there begins to emerge a society quite unlike any we have seen - a society in which government may intrude into the secret regions of a life. William O. Douglas government taken secret The Fifth Amendment is an old friend and a good friend, one of the great landmarks in men's struggle to be free of tyranny, to be decent and civilized. William O. Douglas good-friend struggle friendship Man must be able to escape civilization if he is to survive. Some of his greatest needs are for refuges and retreats where he can recapture for a day or a week the primitive conditions of life. William O. Douglas men civilization needs The Second Amendment reveals a profound principle of American government - the principle of civilian ascendency over the military. William O. Douglas military men america Man is whole when he is in tune with the winds, the stars, and the hills... Being in tune with the universe is the entire secrets. William O. Douglas stars wind men No matter what the legislature may say, a man has the right to make his speech, print his handbill, compose his newspaper, and deliver his sermon without asking anyone's permission. The contrary suggestion is abhorrent to our traditions. William O. Douglas abhorrent suggestions men Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law and order, to efficiency of operation, to scientific advancement and the like. William O. Douglas world-government powerful brother We have a system which, though far from perfect, is strong with idealism. It gives elbow room for men of all races and all beliefs. It is vital and dynamic. And it works. We have the means of shaping the world in our pattern. If we do, freedom will be assured for all men. The decision is in the hands of this generation. It is a challenge to our political competence. For Western civilization it is the greatest challenge of all time. William O. Douglas strong men mean What we must remember, however, is that preservation of liberties does not depend on motives. A suppression of liberty has the same effect whether the suppressor be a reformer or an outlaw. The only protection against misguided zeal is constant alertness to infractions of the guarantees of liberty contained in our Constitution. Each surrender of liberty to the demands of the moment makes easier another, larger surrender. . . William O. Douglas liberty guarantees doe We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from government. William O. Douglas government secret law Security can only be achieved through constant change, through discarding old ideas that have outlived their usefulness and adapting others to current facts. William O. Douglas change facts ideas The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedom. William O. Douglas libertarian liberty freedom It is better, so the Fourth Amendment teaches us, that the guilty sometimes go free than the citizens be subject to easy arrest. William O. Douglas libertarian citizens liberty Once the government can demand of a publisher the names of the purchasers of his publication, the free press as we know it disappears. Then the spectre of a government agent will look over the shoulder of everyone who reads. ... Fear of criticism goes with every person into the bookstall. The subtle, imponderable pressures of the orthodox lay hold. Some will fear to read what is unpopular, what the powers-that-be dislike. ... fear will take the place of freedom in the libraries, book stores, and homes in the land. William O. Douglas government home book The critical point is that the Constitution places the right of silence William O. Douglas constitution government silence Tell the FBI that the kidnappers should pick out a judge that Nixon wants back. William O. Douglas umpires judging history Thus if the First Amendment means anything in this field, it must allow protests even against the moral code that the standard of the day sets for the community. In other words, literature should not be suppressed merely because it offends the moral code of the censor. William O. Douglas community literature mean
