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When a legislature undertakes to proscribe the exercise of a citizen's constitutional right to free speech, it acts lawlessly; and the citizen can take matters in his own hands and proceed on the basis that such a law is no law at all.

— William O. Douglas

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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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Attribution

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.