--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way…" description: "\"“Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so very carefully and slowly so that even you will understand it. If I was the sheriff, I would n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/john-grisham-974_cities_mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-an_896337.jpg" --- # Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so… ![“Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so very carefully and slowly so that even you will understand it. If I was the sheriff, I would not have arrested him. If I was on the grand jury, I would not have indicted him. If I was the judge, I would not try him. If I was the D.A., I would…” quote by John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/john-grisham-974_cities_mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-an_896337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/john-grisham-974_cities_mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-an_896337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/john-grisham-974_cities_mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-an_896337.jpg) > ““Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so very carefully and slowly so that even you will understand it. If I was the sheriff, I would not have arrested him. If I was on the grand jury, I would not have indicted him. If I was the judge, I would not try him. If I was the D.A., I would not prosecute him. If I was on the trial jury, I would vote to give him a key to the city, a plaque to hang on his wall, and I would send him home to his family. And, Mr. Buckley, if my daughter is ever raped, I hope I have the guts to do what he did.”” [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A speaker uses hypothetical scenarios to argue that personal experience would lead to different judgments, highlighting the complexity of moral decisions. **In simple terms:** People claim they'd act differently in others' shoes. Key Takeaway Consider personal bias in judgments. Themes morality hypothetical reasoning justice Mood critical thought‑provoking Type ethical literary When to use this quote - courtroom deliberations - ethical debates - policy making Key Concepts legal ethics personal bias Questions to Reflect On - Would you truly act differently if you were in power? - How do personal experiences shape legal judgments? A Different Perspective Assumes idealized self‑control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrested Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrested-grand-1198571/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Grand jury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grand-jury/) [Guts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guts/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Jury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jury/) [Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keys/) [Let Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-explain-933334/) [Let me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-me/) [My daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-daughter/) [Sheriff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheriff/) [Sheriffs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheriffs/) [Trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Understand Sheriff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-sheriff-1198570/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I roam the streets all the time. You'll be shocked. I'm shocked, everybody that comes up to me, "Oh, thank you, Sheriff. You're supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/i-roam-the-streets-all-the-time-you-ll-be-shocked-i-m-shocked/) [Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/) > [I'm not interested in Vice President. I'm hanging around Arizona. I'm running again for Sheriff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/i-m-not-interested-in-vice-president-i-m-hanging-around-arizona-i-m/) [Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/) > [The U.S. can no longer be the sheriff for the whole world. We can't be everywhere, and we can't always use military boots on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dutch-ruppersberger/the-u-s-can-no-longer-be-the-sheriff-for-the-whole-world-we-can-t-be/) [Dutch Ruppersberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dutch-ruppersberger/) > [ People there’s a new sheriff in town. One of the great running backs in line of Pittsburgh Steelers \[and\] his name is Le’Veon Bell.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ladainian-tomlinson/people-there-s-a-new-sheriff-in-town-one-of-the-great-running-backs/) [LaDainian Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ladainian-tomlinson/) > [Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a great guy.He endorsed me because I'm the best in immigration. And I think by his definition of the best, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/sheriff-joe-arpaio-a-great-guy-he-endorsed-me-because-i-m-the-best-in/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I'm a star: SHERIFF BADGE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/i-m-a-star-sheriff-badge/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [We had the support of the Democratic sheriff of my parish which was the popular Democratic Sheriff of my parish, Harry Lee who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/we-had-the-support-of-the-democratic-sheriff-of-my-parish-which-was/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [After I outlined 'Catering to Nobody,' I went and worked for a caterer. And the other thing I had to do was to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-mott-davidson/after-i-outlined-catering-to-nobody-i-went-and-worked-for-a-caterer/) [Diane Mott Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-mott-davidson/) > [It takes a lot of work to do this every day, every day, but I feel, as a sheriff, I should get to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-arpaio/it-takes-a-lot-of-work-to-do-this-every-day-every-day-but-i-feel-as-a/) [Joe Arpaio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-arpaio/) > [I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot no deputy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/i-shot-the-sheriff-but-i-didn-t-shoot-no-deputy/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [The cyber world is sort of the Wild, Wild West, and to some degree, we're asked to be the sheriff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-cyber-world-is-sort-of-the-wild-wild-west-and-to-some-degree-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Phoenix arrested three people. As soon as he arrested those three people, everybody else immediate left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/sheriff-joe-arpaio-in-phoenix-arrested-three-people-as-soon-as-he/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Personally I had the opportunity to go on several ride alongs with the LA County Sheriff's Department with some amazing detectives, who were invaluable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mckeon/personally-i-had-the-opportunity-to-go-on-several-ride-alongs-with/) [Nancy McKeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mckeon/) > [I don't care to be good, Sheriff. I care to be whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-don-t-care-to-be-good-sheriff-i-care-to-be-whole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [I once played a sheriff who thought he could do the job without a gun. I was dead in twenty-seven minutes of a thirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-once-played-a-sheriff-who-thought-he-could-do-the-job-without-a-gun/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## More by John Grisham > [“Do you read them? Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald?" "Only if I have to. I try to avoid old dead white men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/do-you-read-them-faulkner-hemingway-fitzgerald-only-if-i-have-to-i/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“Cuando duermes, engañas al sistema. El tiempo del sueño te pertenece a ti y no al Estado.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/cuando-duermes-enga-as-al-sistema-el-tiempo-del-sue-o-te-pertenece-a/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“The Senator did not know who owned the jet, nor had he ever met Mr. Trudeau, which in most cultures would seem odd since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/the-senator-did-not-know-who-owned-the-jet-nor-had-he-ever-met-mr/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“What kind of name is Siler-Spence? I mean, what's wrong with these women who use hyphens? What if her name was Skowinski and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/what-kind-of-name-is-siler-spence-i-mean-what-s-wrong-with-these/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“In that case, the truck driver took the stand, swore to tell the truth, then lied for three hours. He said Gretchen crossed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/in-that-case-the-truck-driver-took-the-stand-swore-to-tell-the-truth/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [I'm being followed so much I'm causing traffic jams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/i-m-being-followed-so-much-i-m-causing-traffic-jams/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [Quite often I can be in a bookshop, standing beneath a great big picture of myself and paying for a book with a credit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/quite-often-i-can-be-in-a-bookshop-standing-beneath-a-great-big/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [Reading is by far the most successful pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/reading-is-by-far-the-most-successful-pursuit-of-happiness/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“We were invincible because we were eighteen and stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/we-were-invincible-because-we-were-eighteen-and-stupid/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“One good thing about jail is that it allows you to think a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/one-good-thing-about-jail-is-that-it-allows-you-to-think-a-lot/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [In my case, once you sell a lot of books and you are labeled a bestselling author, the serious critics are never gonna say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/in-my-case-once-you-sell-a-lot-of-books-and-you-are-labeled-a/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [Twenty years on, the books are still fun to write and I've still got lots of stories I want to tell, mainly about social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/twenty-years-on-the-books-are-still-fun-to-write-and-i-ve-still-got/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [Sometimes I can tackle an issue -homelessness, tobacco litigation, insurance fraud, the death penalty - and wrap a good story around it. These are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/sometimes-i-can-tackle-an-issue-homelessness-tobacco-litigation/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“So why do these guys hate your guts?” “Because they believe strip-mining is a good thing. It provides jobs, and there are few jobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/so-why-do-these-guys-hate-your-guts-because-they-believe-strip-mining/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“In little pockets of conversation, old men were telling stories of ancient floods. Women were talking of about how much rain there'd been in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/in-little-pockets-of-conversation-old-men-were-telling-stories-of/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) [Explore all 316 John Grisham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) [James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so very carefully and slowly so that even you will understand it. If I was the sheriff, I would not have arrested him. If I was on the grand jury, I would not have indicted him. If I was the judge, I would not try him. If I was the D.A., I would not prosecute him. If I was on the trial jury, I would vote to give him a key to the city, a plaque to hang on his wall, and I would send him home to his family. And, Mr. Buckley, if my daughter is ever raped, I hope I have the guts to do what he did.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Grisham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-and-i-ll-do-so-very-carefully/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-and-i-ll-do-so-very-carefully/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/john-grisham-974_cities_mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-an_896337.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/john-grisham-974_cities_mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-an_896337.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/john-grisham-974_cities_mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-an_896337.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. 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