--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think most defense attorneys honestly…" description: "\"I think most defense attorneys honestly believe the principle that says, 'Better 10 guilty go free than even one possibly innocent person be convicted...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/alan-dershowitz-2194_attorney_i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly_2425602.png" --- # I think most defense attorneys honestly believe the… ![“I think most defense attorneys honestly believe the principle that says, 'Better 10 guilty go free than even one possibly innocent person be convicted.” quote by Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/alan-dershowitz-2194_attorney_i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly_2425602.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/alan-dershowitz-2194_attorney_i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly_2425602.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/alan-dershowitz-2194_attorney_i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly_2425602.png) > “I think most defense attorneys honestly believe the principle that says, 'Better 10 guilty go free than even one possibly innocent person be convicted.” [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote stresses the legal principle that protecting the innocent outweighs convicting the guilty, emphasizing a precautionary approach in criminal justice. **In simple terms:** Protect the innocent even if some guilty go free. Key Takeaway Prioritize safeguarding the innocent. Themes justice ethics legal standards Mood reflective serious Type ethical legal When to use this quote - criminal trials - public defender work - policy debates - jury deliberations Key Concepts due process presumption of innocence risk management Questions to Reflect On - How do we measure acceptable risk? - When should the principle be reconsidered? A Different Perspective Balancing public safety with individual rights can be contentious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [10 Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/10-guilty-5580110/) [Attorney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attorney/) [Attorneys Honestly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attorneys-honestly-6151723/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense/) [Defense attorneys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defense-attorneys/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [Guilty Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty-free-2135103/) [Honestly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honestly/) [Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent/) [Innocent person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent-person/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Principle Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle-says-4660227/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [In our criminal justice system, we say it's better for 10 guilty people to go free than for even one innocent person to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/in-our-criminal-justice-system-we-say-it-s-better-for-10-guilty/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [I loved the audacity of that American principle which says. When life gets tainted or goes stale, junk it! Leave it behind! Go West!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/i-loved-the-audacity-of-that-american-principle-which-says-when-life/) [Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/) > [As super position principle says. one can add all goods he\|she had done and evils. if total result in goods continue with life bt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyakallo-lets-ela/as-super-position-principle-says-one-can-add-all-goods-he-she-had/) [Nyakallo Lets'ela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyakallo-lets-ela/) > [He is not guilty who is not guilty of his own free will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/he-is-not-guilty-who-is-not-guilty-of-his-own-free-will/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [My Lord, what love is this that pays so dearly. That I, the guilty one, may go free!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-kendrick/my-lord-what-love-is-this-that-pays-so-dearly-that-i-the-guilty-one/) [Graham Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-kendrick/) > [If you're a prosecutor, and you believe the defendant is guilty, you only talk about ultimate truth, but not intermediate truth. If you're the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-you-re-a-prosecutor-and-you-believe-the-defendant-is-guilty-you/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There is no client as scary as an innocent man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/there-is-no-client-as-scary-as-an-innocent-man/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [I had an affinity for criminal law because I came from that background. I understood it. A lot of lawyers of color understand the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunny-hostin/i-had-an-affinity-for-criminal-law-because-i-came-from-that/) [Sunny Hostin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunny-hostin/) > [When I was a prosecutor in San Francisco I would get advice on trying cases from public defenders and defense attorneys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-pelosi/when-i-was-a-prosecutor-in-san-francisco-i-would-get-advice-on-trying/) [Christine Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-pelosi/) > [I always received much more satisfaction as a defense attorney in obtaining an acquittal for a client than I ever have as a D.A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-garrison/i-always-received-much-more-satisfaction-as-a-defense-attorney-in/) [Jim Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-garrison/) > [ \[Jurors who are opposed to capital punishment are\] more likely to believe that a defendant's failure to testify is indicative of his guilt, more… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/jurors-who-are-opposed-to-capital-punishment-are-more-likely-to/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [You can be a career professional as a judge, a prosecutor, sometimes as a defense attorney, and never insist on fairness and justice. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/you-can-be-a-career-professional-as-a-judge-a-prosecutor-sometimes-as/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [One of the people that wrote a forward to my book is Gerry Spence, whom I admire. Gerry is a friend of mine, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/one-of-the-people-that-wrote-a-forward-to-my-book-is-gerry-spence/) [Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/) > [I think most defense attorneys know, to some extent, their clients are guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/i-think-most-defense-attorneys-know-to-some-extent-their-clients-are/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [One of the most fundamental questions people have about defense attorneys is, 'How can you do that? How can you go to bat everyday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-kelley/one-of-the-most-fundamental-questions-people-have-about-defense/) [David E. Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-kelley/) ## More by Alan Dershowitz > [I am a peace supporting Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-am-a-peace-supporting-jew/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the victim. If it were, there could be only one verdict: guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/a-criminal-trial-is-never-about-seeking-justice-for-the-victim-if-it/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [The Second Amendment has no place in modern society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/the-second-amendment-has-no-place-in-modern-society/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Our First Amendment expresses a far different calculus for regulating speech than for regulating nonexpressive conduct and that is as it should be. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/our-first-amendment-expresses-a-far-different-calculus-for-regulating/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [I think that lawyers are terrible at admitting that they're wrong. And not just admitting it; also realizing it. Most lawyers are very successful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-that-lawyers-are-terrible-at-admitting-that-they-re-wrong-and/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Asymmetrical warfare is a euphemism for terrorism, just like collateral damage is a euphemism for killing innocent civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/asymmetrical-warfare-is-a-euphemism-for-terrorism-just-like/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [I never had an existential moment when I asked myself what I was going to do. I always wanted to be a lawyer, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-never-had-an-existential-moment-when-i-asked-myself-what-i-was/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [The Internet knows no national borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/the-internet-knows-no-national-borders/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [It's a new phenomenon in America that states can now sue the national government and become a kind of check and balance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/it-s-a-new-phenomenon-in-america-that-states-can-now-sue-the-national/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [When it comes to partisan politics, everyone is a hypocrite. And all they care about is whether it hurts or helps them ... Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/when-it-comes-to-partisan-politics-everyone-is-a-hypocrite-and-all/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Everybody says they're opposed to torture. But everyone would do it personally if they knew it could save the life of a kidnapped child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/everybody-says-they-re-opposed-to-torture-but-everyone-would-do-it/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [I think mistakes are the essence of science and law. It's impossible to conceive of either scientific progress or legal progress without understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-mistakes-are-the-essence-of-science-and-law-it-s-impossible/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [I never place limits on the potential success of my students. If they're going into acting, they're going to win the Oscar... If they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-never-place-limits-on-the-potential-success-of-my-students-if-they/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) [Explore all 177 Alan Dershowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) ## More Attorney quotes > [My wife and daughters work. My campaign manager in 2005 was a working mother. I appointed 5 women to my senior staff as Attorney General.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mcdonnell/my-wife-and-daughters-work-my-campaign-manager-in-2005-was-a-working/) [Bob McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mcdonnell/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [My first job paid well for a young attorney. I was making over $50,000, which was more than either of my parents had ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-first-job-paid-well-for-a-young-attorney-i-was-making-over-50-000/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [On March 12, 2004, acting attorney general James B. Comey and the Justice Department's top leadership reached the brink of resignation over electronic surveillance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/on-march-12-2004-acting-attorney-general-james-b-comey-and-the/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [It took a bit of talking through administrative people, but only once did an attorney try and get in the way of the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-shear/it-took-a-bit-of-talking-through-administrative-people-but-only-once/) [Jules Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-shear/) > [I wasn't meant to be an attorney, but I was meant to go to law school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-huang/i-wasn-t-meant-to-be-an-attorney-but-i-was-meant-to-go-to-law-school/) [Eddie Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-huang/) > [Here, I am looking for a document issued by a public attorney. I don't find. He is accused by the political leaders of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-verges/here-i-am-looking-for-a-document-issued-by-a-public-attorney-i-don-t/) [Jacques Verges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-verges/) > [Protecting the rights of service members was an important part of my work as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/protecting-the-rights-of-service-members-was-an-important-part-of-my/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [ \[Michael\] Felix and other immigration attorneys say it's possible \[Melania\] Trump was doing what a lot of models do - working illegally on a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hansi-lo-wang/michael-felix-and-other-immigration-attorneys-say-it-s-possible/) [Hansi Lo Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hansi-lo-wang/) > [Modern society includes three types of men who can never think very highly of the world--the priest, the physician, and the attorney-at-law. They all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/modern-society-includes-three-types-of-men-who-can-never-think-very/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > ['To Kill a Mockingbird' is really two stories. One is a coming-of-age tale told from the point of view of Scout Finch, a girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-shields/to-kill-a-mockingbird-is-really-two-stories-one-is-a-coming-of-age/) [Charles J. Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-shields/) > [When I went to jail, I was a trained lawyer. And when the wardens received letters of demands or summonses, they didn't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/when-i-went-to-jail-i-was-a-trained-lawyer-and-when-the-wardens/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-am-asking-my-attorney-general-to-create-a-special-unit-of-federal/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [It was a privilege to serve as the assistant attorney general for civil rights, a role that allowed me to enforce the Civil Rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/it-was-a-privilege-to-serve-as-the-assistant-attorney-general-for/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [In recent years personal injury attorneys and trial lawyers have attacked the food industry with numerous lawsuits alleging that these businesses should pay monetary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ney/in-recent-years-personal-injury-attorneys-and-trial-lawyers-have/) [Bob Ney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ney/) [Browse all 439 Attorney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attorney/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think most defense attorneys honestly believe the principle that says, 'Better 10 guilty go free than even one possibly innocent person be convicted.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Dershowitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly-believe-the-principle-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attorney" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly-believe-the-principle-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/alan-dershowitz-2194_attorney_i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly_2425602.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/alan-dershowitz-2194_attorney_i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly_2425602.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e5/alan-dershowitz-2194_attorney_i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly_2425602.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think most defense attorneys honestly believe the principle that says, 'Better 10 guilty go free than even…” — Alan Dershowitz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Dershowitz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think most defense attorneys honestly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly-believe-the-principle-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-most-defense-attorneys-honestly-believe-the-principle-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```