---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've written important articles on…"
description: "\"I've written important articles on prevention, on the concept of the preventive state, how the law is moving much more in an area of trying to prevent ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/alan-dershowitz-2194_academic_i-ve-written-important-articles-on-preve_2369766.png"
---

#  I've written important articles on prevention, on the…

![“I've written important articles on prevention, on the concept of the preventive state, how the law is moving much more in an area of trying to prevent wrongs than trying to deal with them after they occur. That will be my academic/intellectual legacy.” quote by Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/alan-dershowitz-2194_academic_i-ve-written-important-articles-on-preve_2369766.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/alan-dershowitz-2194_academic_i-ve-written-important-articles-on-preve_2369766.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/alan-dershowitz-2194_academic_i-ve-written-important-articles-on-preve_2369766.png)

> “I've written important articles on prevention, on the concept of the preventive state, how the law is moving much more in an area of trying to prevent wrongs than trying to deal with them after they occur. That will be my academic/intellectual legacy.”

[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.

Advocates shifting legal focus from reactive punishment to proactive measures that stop harm before it occurs.

**In simple terms:** Law should prevent harm, not just punish after.

Key Takeaway

Promote preventive policies now.

Themes

law prevention policy ethics

Mood

thoughtful concerned

Type

philosophical policy analytical

When to use this quote

- criminal justice reform
- health policy
- environmental regulation
- corporate compliance

Key Concepts

preventive justice risk management public safety

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance prevention with individual rights?
- What safeguards ensure preventive laws aren’t misused?

A Different Perspective

Prevention can conflict with civil liberties and due process.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Legacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legacy/) [Prevention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prevention/)

## Related quotes

> [Many a trivial novel has been written about an important subject, and many a profound one about nothing in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/many-a-trivial-novel-has-been-written-about-an-important-subject-and/)

[Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/)

> [Before one is successful that is before any one is ready to pay money for anything you do then you are certain that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/before-one-is-successful-that-is-before-any-one-is-ready-to-pay-money/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [Nineteen hundred and three will bring great advances in surgery, in the study of bacteria, in the knowledge of the cause and prevention of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/nineteen-hundred-and-three-will-bring-great-advances-in-surgery-in/)

[Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/)

> [Sometimes burning bridges isn't a bad thing. It prevents you from going back to a place you should never have been to begin with...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-burning-bridges-isn-t-a-bad-thing-it-prevents-you-from/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I ended up in Colorado working in wilderness fire prevention. My job was to run around with a chainsaw and cut down trees during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-ended-up-in-colorado-working-in-wilderness-fire-prevention-my-job/)

[Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/)

> [We must walk in solidarity with those who are living with HIV/AIDS and with those at risk. As witnesses of Christ, we are called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-edgar-mccarrick/we-must-walk-in-solidarity-with-those-who-are-living-with-hiv-aids/)

Theodore Edgar McCarrick

> [The Iraq war took priority over domestic disaster prevention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-iraq-war-took-priority-over-domestic-disaster-prevention/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We may not be able to prevent the stormy times in our lives, but we can always dance in the puddles!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/we-may-not-be-able-to-prevent-the-stormy-times-in-our-lives-but-we/)

[Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/)

> [“It is a tragedy, at rate at which EBOLA VIRUS is spreading in West Africa. It is a fatal disease in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-a-tragedy-at-rate-at-which-ebola-virus-is-spreading-in-west/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [A cancer is not simply a lung cancer. It doesn't simply have a certain kind of appearance under the microscope or a certain behavior,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-e-varmus/a-cancer-is-not-simply-a-lung-cancer-it-doesn-t-simply-have-a-certain/)

[Harold E. Varmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-e-varmus/)

> [Western doctors are like poor plumbers. They treat a splashing tub by cleaning up the water. These plumbers are extremely apt at drying up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-parsons-burkitt/western-doctors-are-like-poor-plumbers-they-treat-a-splashing-tub-by/)

[Denis Parsons Burkitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-parsons-burkitt/)

> [The only fight you can't lose is the one you don't have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-fight-you-can-t-lose-is-the-one-you-don-t-have/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [What Americans desperately need is a way to transition from the current system - which is fragmented and focuses on high-cost, high-tech interventions after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-heineman/what-americans-desperately-need-is-a-way-to-transition-from-the/)

[Matthew Heineman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-heineman/)

> [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/)

[Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/)

## 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 Academic quotes

> [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/)

[Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/)

> [Instead of explaining the sober facts of mechanics and electricity, I want to say a few words about the debt which we owe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-bloch/instead-of-explaining-the-sober-facts-of-mechanics-and-electricity-i/)

[Felix Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-bloch/)

> [The Carnegie Foundation is well aware of the fact that their reports frequently find their way to dusty archives in academic institutions, but occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-everett-koop/the-carnegie-foundation-is-well-aware-of-the-fact-that-their-reports/)

[C. Everett Koop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-everett-koop/)

> [Marx, however imperfectly he worked out the details, set himself the task of discovering the law of motion of capitalism, and if there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/marx-however-imperfectly-he-worked-out-the-details-set-himself-the/)

[Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/)

> [Now know I well what people sought formerly above all else when they sought Teachers of virtue. Good sleep they sought for themselves, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/now-know-i-well-what-people-sought-formerly-above-all-else-when-they/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/)

[Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/)

> [An academic discipline, or any other semiotic domain, for that matter, is not primarily content, in the sense of facts and principles. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-paul-gee/an-academic-discipline-or-any-other-semiotic-domain-for-that-matter/)

[James Paul Gee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-paul-gee/)

> [“In the end, ethical interpretation of the Bible means to think critically about how our practices of textual engagement might help us to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-brueggemann/in-the-end-ethical-interpretation-of-the-bible-means-to-think/)

[Walter Brueggemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-brueggemann/)

> [Perhaps art criticism cannot be reformed in a logical sense because it was never well-formed in the first place. Art criticism has long been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-elkins/perhaps-art-criticism-cannot-be-reformed-in-a-logical-sense-because/)

[James Elkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-elkins/)

> [And I'm the first one to tell people to break the rules. But you can only break the rules once you know what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/and-i-m-the-first-one-to-tell-people-to-break-the-rules-but-you-can/)

[Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/)

> [Nietzsche's ideas and plans: for example, the idea of giving up the whole wretched academic world to form a secular monastic community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/nietzsche-s-ideas-and-plans-for-example-the-idea-of-giving-up-the/)

[Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/)

> [Quality afterschool programs provide safe, engaging and fun learning experiences to help children and youth develop their social, emotional, physical, cultural and academic skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-stabenow/quality-afterschool-programs-provide-safe-engaging-and-fun-learning/)

[Debbie Stabenow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-stabenow/)

> [The unary Photograph has every reason to be banal, 'unity' of composition being the first rule of vulgar (and notably, of academic) rhetoric: 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-unary-photograph-has-every-reason-to-be-banal-unity-of/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/doctoral-training-is-devoted-almost-entirely-to-learning-to-do/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [I am not an academic who happens to have written a novel. I am a novelist who happens to be quite good academically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/i-am-not-an-academic-who-happens-to-have-written-a-novel-i-am-a/)

[A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/)

[Browse all 958 Academic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've written important articles on prevention, on the concept of the preventive state, how the law is moving much more in an area of trying to prevent wrongs than trying to deal with them after they occur. That will be my academic/intellectual legacy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Dershowitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-ve-written-important-articles-on-prevention-on-the-concept-of-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Academic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-ve-written-important-articles-on-prevention-on-the-concept-of-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/alan-dershowitz-2194_academic_i-ve-written-important-articles-on-preve_2369766.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/alan-dershowitz-2194_academic_i-ve-written-important-articles-on-preve_2369766.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1f/alan-dershowitz-2194_academic_i-ve-written-important-articles-on-preve_2369766.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've written important articles on prevention, on the concept of the preventive state, how the law is moving…” — 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've written important articles on prevention,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-ve-written-important-articles-on-prevention-on-the-concept-of-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-ve-written-important-articles-on-prevention-on-the-concept-of-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
