--- title: "4 Constitution Rests Quotes by 3 authors" description: "Browse 4 Constitution Rests quotes by 3 authors. Discover the best Constitution Rests sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not_1092550.jpg" --- > [The genius of the Constitution rests not in any static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not-in-any-static-meaning-it/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not_1092550.jpg) > [Our Constitution rests on the good sense and the respect of the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/our-constitution-rests-on-the-good-sense-and-the-respect-of-the/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/john-quincy-adams-2098_american-people_our-constitution-rests-on-the-good-sense_1888512.png) > [We current Justices read the Constitution in the only way that we can: as Twentieth Century Americans. We look to the history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/we-current-justices-read-the-constitution-in-the-only-way-that-we-can-2/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_we-current-justices-read-the-constitutio_2408808.jpg) > [“The Constitution says: "We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-constitution-says-we-the-people-of-the-united-states-in-order-to/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/lysander-spooner-3260_constitution_the-constitution-says-we-the-people-of-t_3092322.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution-rests/#itemlist", "name": "Constitution Rests Quotes", "numberOfItems": 4, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The genius of the Constitution rests not in any static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and gone, but in the adaptability of its great principles to cope with current problems and current needs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William J. Brennan" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not-in-any-static-meaning-it/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not_1092550.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not_1092550.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not_1092550.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The genius of the Constitution rests not in any static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and…” — William J. 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We look to the history of the time of framing and to the intervening history of interpretation. But the ultimate question must be, what do the words of the text mean in our time. For the genius of the Constitution rests not in any static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and gone, but in the adaptability of its great principles to cope with current problems and current needs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William J. Brennan" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/we-current-justices-read-the-constitution-in-the-only-way-that-we-can-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_we-current-justices-read-the-constitutio_2408808.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_we-current-justices-read-the-constitutio_2408808.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_we-current-justices-read-the-constitutio_2408808.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We current Justices read the Constitution in the only way that we can: as Twentieth Century Americans. We…” — William J. Brennan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Constitution says: \"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.\" The meaning of this is simply We, the people of the United States, acting freely and voluntarily as individuals, consent and agree that we will cooperate with each other in sustaining such a government as is provided for in this Constitution. The necessity for the consent of \"the people\" is implied in this declaration. The whole authority of the Constitution rests upon it. If they did not consent, it was of no validity. Of course it had no validity, except as between those who actually consented. No one's consent could be presumed against him, without his actual consent being given, any more than in the case of any other contract to pay money, or render service. And to make it binding upon any one, his signature, or other positive evidence of consent, was as necessary as in the case of any other-contract. If the instrument meant to say that any of \"the people of the United States\" would be bound by it, who did not consent, it was a usurpation and a lie. The most that can be inferred from the form, \"We, the people,\" is, that the instrument offered membership to all \"the people of the United States;\" leaving it for them to accept or refuse it, at their pleasure.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lysander Spooner" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-constitution-says-we-the-people-of-the-united-states-in-order-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/lysander-spooner-3260_constitution_the-constitution-says-we-the-people-of-t_3092322.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/lysander-spooner-3260_constitution_the-constitution-says-we-the-people-of-t_3092322.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/467/lysander-spooner-3260_constitution_the-constitution-says-we-the-people-of-t_3092322.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Constitution says: \"We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union…” — Lysander Spooner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution-rests/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution-rests/", "name": "Constitution Rests Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution-rests/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/william-j-brennan-15212_adaptability_the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not_1092550.jpg" }, "description": "Browse 4 Constitution Rests quotes by 3 authors. 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