--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The state's case against Smith, however…" description: "\"“The state's case against Smith, however, did claim to speak to his actual guilt or innocence, and it has to be considered carefully. The reason this i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/sebastian-junger-4689_abuse-of-power_the-state-s-case-against-smith-however-d_2319704.png" --- # The state's case against Smith, however, did claim to… ![“The state's case against Smith, however, did claim to speak to his actual guilt or innocence, and it has to be considered carefully. The reason this is important has nothing to do with Roy Smith or Bessie Goldberg or even Al DeSalvo; they're all dead. In some ways there is nothing less relevant…” quote by Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/sebastian-junger-4689_abuse-of-power_the-state-s-case-against-smith-however-d_2319704.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/sebastian-junger-4689_abuse-of-power_the-state-s-case-against-smith-however-d_2319704.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/123/sebastian-junger-4689_abuse-of-power_the-state-s-case-against-smith-however-d_2319704.png) > ““The state's case against Smith, however, did claim to speak to his actual guilt or innocence, and it has to be considered carefully. The reason this is important has nothing to do with Roy Smith or Bessie Goldberg or even Al DeSalvo; they're all dead. In some ways there is nothing less relevant than an old murder case. The reason it is important is this: Here is a group of people who have gathered to judge--and possibly execute--a fellow citizen. It's the highest calling there is, the very thing that separates us from social anarchy, and it has to be done well. A trial, however, is just a microcosm of the entire political system. When a democratic government decides to raise taxes or wage war or write child safety laws, it is essentially saying to an enormous jury, "This is our theory of how the world works, and this is our proposal for dealing with it. If our theory makes sense to you, vote for us in the next election. If it doesn't, throw us out." The ability of citizens to scrutinize the theories insisted on by their government is their only protection against abuse of power and, ultimately, against tyranny. If ordinary citizens can't coolly and rationally evaluate a prosecutor's summation in a criminal trial, they won't have a chance at calling to task a deceitful government. And all governments are deceitful--they're deceitful because it's easier than being honest. Most of the time, it's no more sinister than that.”” [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Citizens must critically evaluate legal and political arguments to protect democracy from abuse and tyranny. **In simple terms:** People need to judge government actions carefully. Key Takeaway Stay skeptical and demand evidence. Themes civic duty government accountability critical thinking Mood concerned thoughtful Type political educational When to use this quote - jury duty - voting - public hearings - media consumption - community forums Key Concepts democratic theory juror responsibility political literacy Questions to Reflect On - How can ordinary people become better judges of political claims? - What safeguards can improve public understanding of legal proceedings? A Different Perspective Citizens often lack the time or expertise to deeply analyze complex policies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse of power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse-of-power/) [Deceitful Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceitful-government-5540825/) [Governments Deceitful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments-deceitful-5540826/) [Guilt Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt-innocence-699208/) [Innocence Considered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence-considered-627851/) [Jury Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jury-theory-5540824/) [Political system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-system/) ## Related quotes > [Innocence could be considered a discrete state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/innocence-could-be-considered-a-discrete-state-of-mind/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“Should we wrap it all up and simply say that they arrested the innocent? But we omitted saying that the very concept of guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/should-we-wrap-it-all-up-and-simply-say-that-they-arrested-the/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Many Americans have lost confidence in the way our criminal courts assess guilt and innocence. Whatever one thinks of the verdicts, the recent trials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-q-wilson/many-americans-have-lost-confidence-in-the-way-our-criminal-courts/) [James Q. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-q-wilson/) > [“The only people who should have an opinion on guilt or innocence are The Wrongfully Accused !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-lanteigne/the-only-people-who-should-have-an-opinion-on-guilt-or-innocence-are/) [Gerald Lanteigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-lanteigne/) > [There is a fine line between guilt and innocence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konkona-sen-sharma/there-is-a-fine-line-between-guilt-and-innocence/) [Konkona Sen Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konkona-sen-sharma/) > [Guilt or innocence becomes irrelevant in the criminal trials as we flounder in a morass of artificial rules poorly conceived and often impossible \[to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-e-burger/guilt-or-innocence-becomes-irrelevant-in-the-criminal-trials-as-we/) [Warren E. Burger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-e-burger/) > [I don't care whether the person is guilty or not guilty. It's not my business to establish guilt or innocence. It's a court of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-don-t-care-whether-the-person-is-guilty-or-not-guilty-it-s-not-my/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [This isn't about guilt or innocence, he says. The dinosaurs weren't morally good or bad, but they're all dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-isn-t-about-guilt-or-innocence-he-says-the-dinosaurs-weren-t/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Many may very well continue to ask why more value is placed on technicalities of a law than on a man's flesh and blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/many-may-very-well-continue-to-ask-why-more-value-is-placed-on/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“It isn’t actually a question of guilt or innocence, is it? It’s a matter of what the jury believes, once we’ve told them what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-todd/it-isn-t-actually-a-question-of-guilt-or-innocence-is-it-it-s-a/) [Charles Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-todd/) > [Our civilization has decided that determining the guilt or innocence of men is a thing too important to be trusted to trained men. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/our-civilization-has-decided-that-determining-the-guilt-or-innocence/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“Muriel never had had much concern about the arcane reasoning that emanated from appellate courts. The conflicts in the law that interested her were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/muriel-never-had-had-much-concern-about-the-arcane-reasoning-that/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [“But I've seen enough to know that we all carry a measure of guilt and innocence among us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-carr/but-i-ve-seen-enough-to-know-that-we-all-carry-a-measure-of-guilt-and/) [David Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-carr/) > [“Our civilization has decided, and very justly decided, that determining the guilt or innocence of men is a thing too important to be trusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/our-civilization-has-decided-and-very-justly-decided-that-determining/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Presumptions of guilt or innocence may sometimes be strengthened or weakened by the place of birth and kind of education and associates a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-woodbury/presumptions-of-guilt-or-innocence-may-sometimes-be-strengthened-or/) [Levi Woodbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levi-woodbury/) ## More by Sebastian Junger > [No matter how many people you kill, using a machine gun in battle is not a war crime because it does not cause unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/no-matter-how-many-people-you-kill-using-a-machine-gun-in-battle-is/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [Right now, America doesn't ask us to do anything besides pay taxes. We don't even have to vote. But as psychologists will tell you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/right-now-america-doesn-t-ask-us-to-do-anything-besides-pay-taxes-we/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“There are houses in Gloucester where grooves have been worn into the floorboards by women pacing past an upstairs window, looking out to sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/there-are-houses-in-gloucester-where-grooves-have-been-worn-into-the/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“Billy's at 44 north, 56 west and heading straight into meteorological hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/billy-s-at-44-north-56-west-and-heading-straight-into-meteorological/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [There is some evidence that average wave heights are slowly rising, and that freak waves of eighty or ninety feet are becoming more common.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/there-is-some-evidence-that-average-wave-heights-are-slowly-rising/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [If you get an infection, you get a fever; the fever is your body dealing with the infection. If you get traumatized, your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/if-you-get-an-infection-you-get-a-fever-the-fever-is-your-body/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [People who do really dangerous tasks can't afford to sit around and discuss the merits of what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/people-who-do-really-dangerous-tasks-can-t-afford-to-sit-around-and/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [I would never want to pass a law limiting freedom of speech, but that doesn't mean we have to condone statements that undermine basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/i-would-never-want-to-pass-a-law-limiting-freedom-of-speech-but-that/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [I think objectivity is like this strange myth that people think you're supposed to achieve, but actually, the dirty little secret is that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/i-think-objectivity-is-like-this-strange-myth-that-people-think-you/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [Each Javelin round costs $80,000, and the idea that it's fired by a guy who doesn't make that in a year at a guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/each-javelin-round-costs-80-000-and-the-idea-that-it-s-fired-by-a-guy/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“I look at the names on the mailboxes and the bells inside number 1940 and pick out a couple of women’s names and press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/i-look-at-the-names-on-the-mailboxes-and-the-bells-inside-number-1940/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [It's fun to have money, but the more money I get, the less interesting it becomes. If you don't have very much, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/it-s-fun-to-have-money-but-the-more-money-i-get-the-less-interesting/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“The United States is so powerful that the only country capable of destroying her might be the United States herself, which means that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/the-united-states-is-so-powerful-that-the-only-country-capable-of/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [The most profound question is, "What would I risk dying for?" The natural answer is "for my family." But for most of history, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/the-most-profound-question-is-what-would-i-risk-dying-for-the-natural/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [When you're scared, you're still hanging on to life. When you're ready to die, you let it go. A sort of emptying out occurs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/when-you-re-scared-you-re-still-hanging-on-to-life-when-you-re-ready/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) [Explore all 107 Sebastian Junger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) ## More Abuse of power quotes > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [The abuse of power takes happiness away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-abuse-of-power-takes-happiness-away/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [When authority is total, so too is the madness of the man who declares it, and the potential for abuse of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/when-authority-is-total-so-too-is-the-madness-of-the-man-who-declares/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [When you love a person, you are giving him the power to hurt you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-love-a-person-you-are-giving-him-the-power-to-hurt-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) [S.F. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-f-chandler/) > [“If your case, as a politically repressed person, is reviewed by the Special Council, you are almost guaranteed the standard sentence: ten years in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-case-as-a-politically-repressed-person-is-reviewed-by-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wallet and Bullets are the most powerful weapons, which makes most of the things happen¦.When the Wallet in filled in and A Bullet is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santanu-mishra/wallet-and-bullets-are-the-most-powerful-weapons-which-makes-most-of/) [Santanu Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santanu-mishra/) > [Abuse of power comes as no surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-holzer/abuse-of-power-comes-as-no-surprise/) [Jenny Holzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-holzer/) > ['To Speak' we don't have to Pay anything other than the 'ability to Speak', but we have to 'Pay Heavily for what we Speak'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santanu-mishra/to-speak-we-don-t-have-to-pay-anything-other-than-the-ability-to/) [Santanu Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santanu-mishra/) > [These are issues we've been grappling with since the Constitution was written: how you hold your government to account for its words and deeds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-plame/these-are-issues-we-ve-been-grappling-with-since-the-constitution-was/) [Valerie Plame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-plame/) > [Your true strength lies within your ability to control power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rochelle-morrison/your-true-strength-lies-within-your-ability-to-control-power/) [Rochelle Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rochelle-morrison/) > [Abuse of power isn't limited to bad guys in other nations. It happens in our own country if we're not vigilant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/abuse-of-power-isn-t-limited-to-bad-guys-in-other-nations-it-happens/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [The idea that Donald Trump committed an abuse of power by bringing politics into a foreign relationship is a joke. They all do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/the-idea-that-donald-trump-committed-an-abuse-of-power-by-bringing/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [The allegations against Harvey Weinstein are clearly deplorable. No matter how many great films he's bullied into production, or his guilt-induced contributions to left-minded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-sutter/the-allegations-against-harvey-weinstein-are-clearly-deplorable-no/) [Kurt Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-sutter/) > [Men hit women because they feel powerful when they do but in reality, they're just showing how weak they really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/men-hit-women-because-they-feel-powerful-when-they-do-but-in-reality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 201 Abuse of power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse-of-power/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The state's case against Smith, however, did claim to speak to his actual guilt or innocence, and it has to be considered carefully. The reason this is important has nothing to do with Roy Smith or Bessie Goldberg or even Al DeSalvo; they're all dead. In some ways there is nothing less relevant than an old murder case. The reason it is important is this: Here is a group of people who have gathered to judge--and possibly execute--a fellow citizen. It's the highest calling there is, the very thing that separates us from social anarchy, and it has to be done well. A trial, however, is just a microcosm of the entire political system. When a democratic government decides to raise taxes or wage war or write child safety laws, it is essentially saying to an enormous jury, \"This is our theory of how the world works, and this is our proposal for dealing with it. If our theory makes sense to you, vote for us in the next election. If it doesn't, throw us out.\" The ability of citizens to scrutinize the theories insisted on by their government is their only protection against abuse of power and, ultimately, against tyranny. 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