--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you want know what sort of a justice I…" description: "\"If you want know what sort of a justice I would make, then look at what sort of a judge I have been.\" — Samuel Alito" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f3/samuel-alito-11708_has-beens_if-you-want-know-what-sort-of-a-justice_266105.jpg" --- # If you want know what sort of a justice I would make, then… ![“If you want know what sort of a justice I would make, then look at what sort of a judge I have been.” quote by Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f3/samuel-alito-11708_has-beens_if-you-want-know-what-sort-of-a-justice_266105.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f3/samuel-alito-11708_has-beens_if-you-want-know-what-sort-of-a-justice_266105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f3/samuel-alito-11708_has-beens_if-you-want-know-what-sort-of-a-justice_266105.jpg) > “If you want know what sort of a justice I would make, then look at what sort of a judge I have been.” [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A judge’s past decisions reveal the kind of justice they would create, emphasizing consistency between action and principle. **In simple terms:** Past rulings show future justice style. Key Takeaway Judge by past decisions. Themes justice judicial philosophy consistency Mood analytical serious Type legal philosophical When to use this quote - court rulings - policy making Key Concepts legal precedent ethical standards Questions to Reflect On - How can judges adapt to evolving societal values? - What safeguards ensure fairness? A Different Perspective Past decisions may not predict future complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judge/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-make-2611994/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Sort Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort-judge-2611993/) [Sort Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort-justice-2611992/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [Justice? Who asks for justice? We make our own justice ... Let us not rail about justice as long as we have arms and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/justice-who-asks-for-justice-we-make-our-own-justice-let-us-not-rail/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [I've learned a lot during my years on the 3rd Circuit, particularly, I think, about the way in which a judge should go about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/i-ve-learned-a-lot-during-my-years-on-the-3rd-circuit-particularly-i/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [The most important quality for a judge is open- mindedness to the arguments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/the-most-important-quality-for-a-judge-is-open-mindedness-to-the/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [I have been a judge for 15 years and I've made up my own mind during all that time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/i-have-been-a-judge-for-15-years-and-i-ve-made-up-my-own-mind-during/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [Only the free and personal man is a good citizen (realist), and even with the lack of particular (scholarly, artistic, etc)culture, a tasteful judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-stirner/only-the-free-and-personal-man-is-a-good-citizen-realist-and-even/) [Max Stirner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-stirner/) > [I kind of learned that I am way too tough of a critic on myself and that other people are not judging me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-sloane/i-kind-of-learned-that-i-am-way-too-tough-of-a-critic-on-myself-and/) [Lindsay Sloane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-sloane/) > [I am the worst judge of my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-am-the-worst-judge-of-my-books/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [Conscience warns us as a friend before it punishes us as a judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/conscience-warns-us-as-a-friend-before-it-punishes-us-as-a-judge/) [Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/) > [I judge people by their own principles..not by my own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-judge-people-by-their-own-principles-not-by-my-own/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-mind-anything-that-anyone-tells-you-about-anyone-else-judge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Powers Hapgood had just come from court because there was some kind of dust-up on a picket line. The judge was so curious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/powers-hapgood-had-just-come-from-court-because-there-was-some-kind/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“While you judge me by my outward appearance I am silently doing the same to you, even though there's a ninety-percent chance that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/while-you-judge-me-by-my-outward-appearance-i-am-silently-doing-the/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [I have no faith in my ability to judge things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-have-no-faith-in-my-ability-to-judge-things/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [They judge lest they be judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/they-judge-lest-they-be-judged/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) ## More by Samuel Alito > [When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/when-i-get-a-case-about-discrimination-i-have-to-think-about-people/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [I think that Congress's ability to reason is fully equal to that of the judiciary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/i-think-that-congress-s-ability-to-reason-is-fully-equal-to-that-of/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [As I mentioned, things were particularly hard during the Depression. My paternal grandfather was frequently out of work, and the family was evicted from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/as-i-mentioned-things-were-particularly-hard-during-the-depression-my/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [I can still remember the day, as an assistant U.S. attorney, when I stood up in court for the first time and I proudly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/i-can-still-remember-the-day-as-an-assistant-u-s-attorney-when-i/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [I've learned a lot during my years on the 3rd Circuit, particularly, I think, about the way in which a judge should go about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/i-ve-learned-a-lot-during-my-years-on-the-3rd-circuit-particularly-i/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [Part of me wanted to get a graduate degree in political science. 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And the people of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/justice-sandra-day-o-connor-has-been-a-pioneer-and-her-dedicated/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [A generation earlier, I think that somebody from my background probably would not have felt fully comfortable at a college like Princeton. But, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/a-generation-earlier-i-think-that-somebody-from-my-background/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) > [Many people have been positive influences in my life. My parents, whom I mentioned, were the most important, but many of my teachers were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alito/many-people-have-been-positive-influences-in-my-life-my-parents-whom/) [Samuel Alito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) [Explore all 58 Samuel Alito quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alito/) ## More Has beens quotes > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. 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The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [During the last 17 years... 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