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The continuing episodes of protest and dissent in the United States have their basis in the First Amendment to the Constitution, a great safety valve that is lacking in most other nations of the world. The First Amendment creates a sanctuary around the citizen’s beliefs. His ideas, his conscience, his convictions are his own concern, not the government’s.

— William O. Douglas Points of Rebellion (1970)

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More quotes by William O. Douglas

The Court's great power is its ability to educate, to provide moral leadership.

The liberties of none are safe unless the liberties of all are protected.

A Living Bill of Rights (1961)

We need to be bold and adventurous in our thinking in order to survive.

The struggle is always between the individual and his sacred right to express himself and the power structure that seeks conformity, suppression, and obedience.

Religious experiences which are as real as life to some may be incomprehensible to others.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: William O. Douglas (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.