It was a sight surpassing all precedent, and one we never…

These eyes, tho' clear To outward view of blemish or of spot, Bereft of light, their seeing have forgot, Nor to their idle orbs…

— John Milton

When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…

— Sandra Day O'Connor

In my own recent String Trio I attempt to superimpose two quite different sets of formal strategies, both of which, ultimately, refer back to…

— Brian Ferneyhough

Judges have to have the humility to recognize that they operate within a system of precedent, shaped by other judges equally striving to live…

— John Roberts

The American Civil Liberties Union, has helped neutralize the Judeo-Christian underpinnings of our legal system by seeking new legal precedents.

— Bill Bright

It is in vain to oppose constitutional barriers to the impulse of self-preservation. It is worse than in vain; because it plants in the…

— James Madison

It's only now that I realize that behaviour always has a context and precedents, it's what you do rather than what you are, although…

— Irvine Welsh

Every presidential candidate for decades has released his tax returns, and I've released 33 years of my tax returns. The American people deserve to…

— Hillary Clinton

Strongly guarded as is the separation between Religion and Government in the Constitution of the United States, the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies…

— James Madison

Mere precedent is a dangerous source of authority.

— Andrew Jackson

Men decide far more problems by hate, love, lust, rage, sorrow, joy, hope, fear, illusion or some other inward emotion, than by reality, authority,…

— Anonymous

I pay tribute to John Major's achievement in persuading the other 11 Community Heads of Government that they could move ahead to a Social…

— Margaret Thatcher

Women will ignore precedent and startle civilization with their progress.

— Nikola Tesla

'Diversity' is a wonderfully seductive word. It stresses differences rather than commonalities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that…

— Richard Lamm

The scale of marital breakdowns in the West since 1960 has no historical precedent that I know of, and seems unique, . . .…

— Lawrence Stone