“Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
The censor is always quick to justify his function in terms that are protective of society. But the First Amendment, written in… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
The most important aspect of freedom of speech is freedom to learn. All education is a continuous dialogue - questions and answers… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
The First and Fourteenth Amendments say that Congress and the States shall make "no law" which abridges freedom of speech or of… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
“The framers of the constitution knew human nature as well as we do. They too had lived in dangerous days; they too… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
Effective self-government cannot succeed unless the people are immersed in a steady, robust, unimpeded, and uncensored flow of opinion and reporting which… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
The people, the ultimate governors, must have absolute freedom of, and therefore privacy of, their individual opinions and beliefs regardless of how… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
The First Amendment makes confidence in the common sense of our people and in the maturity of their judgement the great postulate of our… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
Inanimate objects are sometimes parties to litigation. A ship has a legal personality, a fiction found useful for maritime purposes. The corporation sole -… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
I've often thought that if planners were botanists, zoologists, geologists, and people who know about the earth, we would have much more wisdom in… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
I have the same confidence in the ability of our people to reject noxious literature as I have in their capacity to sort out… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
The liberties of none are safe unless the liberties of all are protected. — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
A function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
At the constitutional level where we work, 90 percent of any decision is emotional. The rational part of us supplies the reasons for supporting… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
To be whole and harmonious, man must also know the music of the beaches and the woods. He must find the thing of which… — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
We deal with a right of privacy older than the Bill of Rights-older than our political parties, older than our school system. — William O. Douglas Copy Share Image
