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At the international level we have become virtually paranoid. The world is filled with dangerous people. Every troublemaker across the globe is a communist. Our obsession is in part the product of a fear generated by Joseph McCarthy. Indeed a black silence of fear possesses the nation and is causing us to jettison some of our libertarian traditions.

— 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.