A Time for Mercy Quotes

“Murder must be punished, but murder can also be justified.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“Being fearless, unafraid to take unpopular cases, fighting like hell for the little people who have no one to protect them. When you get the reputation as a lawyer who’ll take on anybody and anything—the government, the corporations, the power structure—then you’ll be in demand. You have to reach a level of confidence, Jake, where you walk into a courtroom thoroughly unintimidated by any judge, any prosecutor, any big-firm defense lawyer, and completely oblivious to what people might say about you.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“He prayed long and hard for justice and healing, but was a bit light on mercy.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“The only way to improve Noose’s favorite courtroom was to burn it.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“I can’t believe you would represent a killer like that Jake. I thought you were one of us.
xxx
‘Gotta have a lawyer, Helen. You can’t put the boy in the gas chamber if he doesn’t have a lawyer. Surely, you understand.’
xxx
‘...I can’t imagine doing that for a living, representing killers and child rapists and such.’
‘How often do you read the Constitution?’
‘...the Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, says that a person accused of a serious crime must have a lawyer. And that’s the law of the land.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“You were enduring these terrible attacks, yet you never sought help?” “From who?” “What about law enforcement? The police?” Jake’s heart froze at the question. He was stunned by it, but prepared, as was his witness. With perfect timing and diction, Kiera looked at Dyer and said, “Sir, I was being raped by the police.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“He was still wet with sweat and the coffee did little to cool things, but he needed it because it was an old friend and starting the day without it was unthinkable.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“Those pricks down at the Rotary Club and the church and the coffee shop will not make you a lawyer and will not make you a dime.” And, “To be a real lawyer, first you grow a thick skin, and second you tell everybody but your clients to go to hell.” And, “A real lawyer is not afraid of unpopular cases.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“his fingertips. No sir. They will follow the lawyer who tells them the truth.” Word for word, same as always. “So, what’s the truth with Drew Gamble?” Jake asked. “Same as Carl Lee Hailey. Some people need killing.” “That’s not what I told the jury.” “No, not in those words. But you convinced them that Hailey did exactly what they would do if given the chance. It was brilliant.” “I’m not feeling so brilliant these days. I have no choice but to put a dead man on trial, a guy who can’t defend himself. It will be an ugly trial, Lucien, but I see no way around it.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“But most Christians I know are quite good at cherry-picking their way through the Holy Scriptures.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“Why do so many white people love the death penalty?” Portia asked. “It’s in the water. We grow up with it. We hear it at home, at church, at school, among friends. This is the Bible Belt, Portia, eye for an eye and all that.” “What about the New Testament and Jesus’s sermons on forgiveness?” “It’s not convenient. He also preached love first, tolerance, acceptance, equality. But most Christians I know are quite good at cherry-picking their way through the Holy Scriptures.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“IN THE PARLANCE of the Bible Belt, those within the faith used many words and terms to describe those outside of it. On the harsher end of the spectrum, the “lost” were referred to as heathen, unsaved, unclean, hell-bound, and just old-fashioned sinners. More polite Christians called them nonbelievers, future saints, backsliders, or—the favorite—unchurched.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“They filed in, dressed for the day in short-sleeve shirts and cotton dresses. As they took their seats, a bailiff handed each a funeral fan—a decorative piece of cardboard glued to a stick—as if flapping it back and forth in front of their noses would bring relief from the stifling heat. Many of the spectators were already waving them.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“that”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“old”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“Jake despised the idea of keeping guns in his car, his desk at work, his nightstand at home, but once they take shots at you, burn your house, and threaten your family, notions of self-preservation become priority one.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“her in hiding.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“cups, and he and Lowell sat across from”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“bad press. And there is really no way Noose can force the county to pay more than a thousand bucks. If the supervisors dig in, and they will, we’re screwed.” She nodded as if she understood, took another sip, and eventually said, “Lovely.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“What about the New Testament and Jesus’s sermons on forgiveness?” “It’s not convenient. He also preached love first, tolerance, acceptance, equality. But most Christians I know are quite good at cherry-picking their way through the Holy Scriptures.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“guy”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“It’s not slander if it’s true.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“Not enough.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“Gentlemen.” Noose grimaced in pain and tried to stretch. “It’s going on four o’clock. I have an appointment with a physical therapist at five-thirty. I’m not whining but my lower lumbar needs some work. It is difficult to sit for more than two or three hours at a time.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“I don’t know. My first impulse is to take her, but something in my gut says no.” “Great. We’ll lose Rodney Cote and Della Fancher, two of our three”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“We’re visiting another church today.” “Why?” “Because you always say that the sermons are boring. Half the time you fall asleep. There are at least a thousand churches around here and we thought we’d try another one.” “But I didn’t say I wanted to go somewhere else. What about my friends in Sunday school?” “Oh, you’ll see them again,” Carla said. “Where’s your sense of adventure?” “Going to church is an adventure?” “Just hang on. I think you’ll like this place.” “Where is it?” “You’ll see.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“chairs. Carla found a seat near the front, not far from Jake. She had taken Josie and Kiera to Finley’s office where they would spend the afternoon, waiting. If Dyer wanted to talk to Kiera, she was a phone call away.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“Drew nodded and might have spoken. “Please speak up, sir,” Noose almost yelled into his microphone. Jake looked down at his client. “Yes sir.” “And you are represented by the Honorable Jake Brigance, right?” “Yes sir.” “And you have been indicted by the grand jury of Ford County for the murder”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“was about to look bad regardless of what happened. He would sit next to the defendant, stand next to him, consult with him, speak for him, and so on. The clear and obvious guilt of Drew Gamble was about to rub off on his lawyer.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy

“Stuart was a sloppy, violent drunk. His pale Irish skin turned red, his cheeks were crimson, and his eyes glowed with a whiskey-lit fire that she had seen too many times. At thirty-four, he was graying and balding and tried to cover it up with a bad comb-over, which after a night of bar-hopping left long strands of hair hanging below his ears. His face had no cuts or bruises, perhaps a good sign, perhaps not. He liked to fight in the honky-tonks, and after a rough night he usually licked his wounds and went straight to bed. But if there had been no fights he often came home looking for a brawl.”
― John Grisham, A Time for Mercy