My Own Words

by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.

We may regard something as an emergency measure today, but we should remember that the criminal law not only reflects the moral outlook of the community, but may very well alter or create moral attitudes. When attempts to prevent certain forms of behavior may place individual rights and liberties in peril, the criminal sanction should be saved as a last resort.