---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My Lawyer being practiced almost from his…"
description: "\"My Lawyer being practiced almost from his Cradle in defending Falsehood; is quite out of his Element when he would be an Advocate for Justice, which as..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/jonathan-swift-433_awkwardness_my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-hi_3149302.jpg"
---

#  My Lawyer being practiced almost from his Cradle in…

![“My Lawyer being practiced almost from his Cradle in defending Falsehood; is quite out of his Element when he would be an Advocate for Justice, which as an Office unnatural, he always attempts with great Awkwardness if not with Ill-will.” quote by Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/jonathan-swift-433_awkwardness_my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-hi_3149302.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/jonathan-swift-433_awkwardness_my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-hi_3149302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/jonathan-swift-433_awkwardness_my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-hi_3149302.jpg)

> “My Lawyer being practiced almost from his Cradle in defending Falsehood; is quite out of his Element when he would be an Advocate for Justice, which as an Office unnatural, he always attempts with great Awkwardness if not with Ill-will.”

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A lawyer trained to defend lies feels uncomfortable when forced to champion justice, revealing a conflict between habit and morality.

**In simple terms:** Lawyers used to defending falsehoods struggle with justice.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and align your work with ethical values.

Themes

ethics professionalism conflict justice integrity

Mood

reflective serious

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- legal practice
- courtroom defense
- advocacy
- policy advising
- public service

Key Concepts

cognitive dissonance moral psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you reconcile professional duties with personal morals?
- Can you change a role that feels misaligned?

A Different Perspective

Even skilled advocates may lack genuine conviction when roles clash with personal ethics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Awkwardness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkwardness/) [Awkwardness Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkwardness-ill-5646920/) [Cradle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cradle/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Falsehood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falsehood/) [Great Awkwardness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-awkwardness-5646918/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Ill will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill-will/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Lawyer Practiced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer-practiced-671384/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Office Unnatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office-unnatural-5646919/) [Unnatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnatural/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm a lawyer, I practiced for many years, and so I believe in the Fifth Amendment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-cummings/i-m-a-lawyer-i-practiced-for-many-years-and-so-i-believe-in-the-fifth/)

[Elijah Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-cummings/)

> [\[About the demand of the Board of Regents of the University of California that professors sign non-Communist loyalty oaths or lose their jobs within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-henry-hildebrand/about-the-demand-of-the-board-of-regents-of-the-university-of/)

[Joel Henry Hildebrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-henry-hildebrand/)

> [Here is a mental treatment guaranteed to cure every ill that flesh is heir to: sit for half an hour every night and mentally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fillmore/here-is-a-mental-treatment-guaranteed-to-cure-every-ill-that-flesh-is/)

[Charles Fillmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fillmore/)

> [For it is in our nature to endure patiently the decrees of fate, but not the ill-will of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/for-it-is-in-our-nature-to-endure-patiently-the-decrees-of-fate-but/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [“If we become aware that someone is sending thoughts of ill will in our direction, we do not argue with the apparent reality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/if-we-become-aware-that-someone-is-sending-thoughts-of-ill-will-in/)

[Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/)

> [Employers, have you ever stopped to reckon what the goodwill of your workers is worth? ... In most large concerns it would be worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/employers-have-you-ever-stopped-to-reckon-what-the-goodwill-of-your/)

[B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/)

> [The religion of Christ is peace and good-will,--the religion of Christendom is war and ill-will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/the-religion-of-christ-is-peace-and-good-will-the-religion-of/)

[Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/)

> [There is not a more disgusting spectacle under the sun than our subserviency to British criticism. It is disgusting, first, because it is truckling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-not-a-more-disgusting-spectacle-under-the-sun-than-our/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [Man is, perhaps, no more prone to war than he used to be and no more inclined to commit other evil deeds. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/man-is-perhaps-no-more-prone-to-war-than-he-used-to-be-and-no-more/)

[Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/)

> [It is but seldom that any one overt act produces hostilities between two nations; there exists, more commonly, a previous jealousy and ill will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/it-is-but-seldom-that-any-one-overt-act-produces-hostilities-between/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [It is unfortunate that in most cases when the sins of the father fall on the son it is because unlike God, people refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-unfortunate-that-in-most-cases-when-the-sins-of-the-father-fall/)

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

> [Never allow sick attitudes to poison your thinking, nor let ill will make you ill. Avoid making your mind sore by that painful rehurting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/never-allow-sick-attitudes-to-poison-your-thinking-nor-let-ill-will/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [“The growth of his power and fame was matched, in my imagination, by the degree of the punishment I would have liked to inflict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabokov-i-tyrants-destroyed-i/the-growth-of-his-power-and-fame-was-matched-in-my-imagination-by-the/)

[Nabokov i Tyrants Destroyed i](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabokov-i-tyrants-destroyed-i/)

> [There is all the difference in the world between the criminal's avoiding the public eye and the civil disobedience's taking the law into his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/there-is-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-the-criminal-s/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [To think profoundly, to seek and speak truth, to love justice and denounce wrong is to draw upon one's self the ill will of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/to-think-profoundly-to-seek-and-speak-truth-to-love-justice-and/)

[John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/)

## More by Jonathan Swift

> [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [“He said, he knew no reason why those who entertain opinions prejudicial to the public should be obliged to change, or should not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/he-said-he-knew-no-reason-why-those-who-entertain-opinions/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A favor is half granted, when graciously refused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-favor-is-half-granted-when-graciously-refused/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-never-wonder-to-see-men-wicked-but-i-often-wonder-to-see-them-not/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [The best Maxim I know in this life is, to drink your Coffee when you can, and when you cannot, to be easy without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/the-best-maxim-i-know-in-this-life-is-to-drink-your-coffee-when-you/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A lie is an excuse guarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-lie-is-an-excuse-guarded/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A forward critic often dupes us With sham quotations peri hupsos, And if we have not read Longinus, Will magisterially outshine us. Then, lest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-forward-critic-often-dupes-us-with-sham-quotations-peri-hupsos-and/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [May you live every day of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/may-you-live-every-day-of-your-life/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Ale is meat, drink and cloth; it will make a cat speak and a wise man dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/ale-is-meat-drink-and-cloth-it-will-make-a-cat-speak-and-a-wise-man/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/all-fits-of-pleasure-are-balanced-by-an-equal-degree-of-pain-or/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/satire-is-a-sort-of-glass-wherein-beholders-do-generally-discover/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [“When a great genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign; that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/when-a-great-genius-appears-in-the-world-you-may-know-him-by-this/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities, and all my love is toward individuals: for instance, I hate the tribe of lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-have-ever-hated-all-nations-professions-and-communities-and-all-my/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [So endless and exorbitant are the desires of men that they will grasp at all, and can form no scheme of perfect happiness with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/so-endless-and-exorbitant-are-the-desires-of-men-that-they-will-grasp/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

[Explore all 535 Jonathan Swift quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

## More Awkwardness quotes

> [Well, my intention is to make work about being uncomfortable. About being in a world that isn't always the world you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/well-my-intention-is-to-make-work-about-being-uncomfortable-about/)

[Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/)

> [It's awkward doing it with anybody, but it's like Twister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/it-s-awkward-doing-it-with-anybody-but-it-s-like-twister/)

[Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/)

> [To combat social awkwardness, I would just act like I couldn't be bothered - that kind of aloof persona or aloof demeanor. It's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/to-combat-social-awkwardness-i-would-just-act-like-i-couldn-t-be/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [“Awkwardness, thy name is vampire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/awkwardness-thy-name-is-vampire/)

[Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/)

> [“What can one do with one's hands when the camera is interested in other things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/what-can-one-do-with-one-s-hands-when-the-camera-is-interested-in/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [I work from awkwardness. By that I mean I don't like to arrange things. If I stand in front of something, instead of arranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-arbus/i-work-from-awkwardness-by-that-i-mean-i-don-t-like-to-arrange-things/)

[Diane Arbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-arbus/)

> [I never wish to offend, but I am so foolishly shy, that I often seem negligent, when I am only kept back by my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-never-wish-to-offend-but-i-am-so-foolishly-shy-that-i-often-seem/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [God may forgive sins, he said, but awkwardness has no forgiveness in heaven or earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/god-may-forgive-sins-he-said-but-awkwardness-has-no-forgiveness-in/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I can't flirt, so I'll just seduce you with my awkwardness: xDDD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/i-can-t-flirt-so-i-ll-just-seduce-you-with-my-awkwardness-xddd/)

[Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/)

> [They meet in the girls' bathroom. The last time they were forced to meet in a place like this, they took separate, isolated stalls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/they-meet-in-the-girls-bathroom-the-last-time-they-were-forced-to/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [My position in life has always been to be that person in the room who can make the conversation and break down any awkwardness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-narstie/my-position-in-life-has-always-been-to-be-that-person-in-the-room-who/)

[Big Narstie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-narstie/)

> [“Perhaps anything that he did would have pleased Lucy, but his awkwardness went straight to her heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/perhaps-anything-that-he-did-would-have-pleased-lucy-but-his/)

[E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/)

> [“Grace and chocolate cake can cover a world of awkwardness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/grace-and-chocolate-cake-can-cover-a-world-of-awkwardness/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [The finest manners in the world are awkwardness and fatuity when contrasted with a finer intelligence. They appear but as the fashions of past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-finest-manners-in-the-world-are-awkwardness-and-fatuity-when/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [There's an attraction to emotional clusters or hypocrisies or awkwardness. A desire to expose something or point at something that's already poking out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-chang/there-s-an-attraction-to-emotional-clusters-or-hypocrisies-or/)

[Victoria Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-chang/)

[Browse all 278 Awkwardness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkwardness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My Lawyer being practiced almost from his Cradle in defending Falsehood; is quite out of his Element when he would be an Advocate for Justice, which as an Office unnatural, he always attempts with great Awkwardness if not with Ill-will.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Swift"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-his-cradle-in-defending/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awkwardness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-his-cradle-in-defending/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/jonathan-swift-433_awkwardness_my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-hi_3149302.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/jonathan-swift-433_awkwardness_my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-hi_3149302.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/jonathan-swift-433_awkwardness_my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-hi_3149302.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My Lawyer being practiced almost from his Cradle in defending Falsehood; is quite out of his Element when he…” — Jonathan Swift",
                "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": "Jonathan Swift",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My Lawyer being practiced almost from...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-his-cradle-in-defending/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/my-lawyer-being-practiced-almost-from-his-cradle-in-defending/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
