--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To say the Constitution is living is to…" description: "\"To say the Constitution is living is to say that it's dead.\" — Thomas Sowell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/thomas-sowell-247_constitution_to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to_101511.jpg" --- # To say the Constitution is living is to say that it's dead. ![“To say the Constitution is living is to say that it's dead.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/thomas-sowell-247_constitution_to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to_101511.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/thomas-sowell-247_constitution_to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to_101511.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/thomas-sowell-247_constitution_to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to_101511.jpg) > “To say the Constitution is living is to say that it's dead.” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Labeling the Constitution as 'living' suggests it adapts, but that flexibility can render its core principles ineffective, akin to being dead. **In simple terms:** A constantly changing Constitution may lose its purpose. Key Takeaway Excessive flexibility can erode foundational legal strength. Themes law constitution interpretation politics Mood critical reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - judicial review debates - constitutional amendment discussions Key Concepts legal rigidity vs. adaptability Practical Applications - Promote clear amendment procedures - Educate citizens on original intent vs. modern application Questions to Reflect On - What balance should exist between stability and change in a constitution? - Who decides when adaptation becomes detrimental? A Different Perspective Rigid adherence may prevent necessary reforms for evolving societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [I have the virtue of being still amongst the living. Some would say that is my only virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-the-virtue-of-being-still-amongst-the-living-some-would-say/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now, how do you explain Obama's claim, that he can kill American citizens without due process? Well, he has his attorney general get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/now-how-do-you-explain-obama-s-claim-that-he-can-kill-american/) [Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/) > [That's the argument of flexibility and it goes something like this: The Constitution is over 200 years old and societies change. It has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/that-s-the-argument-of-flexibility-and-it-goes-something-like-this/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [May the Lord be with us at all times, under all circumstances; may he bring into our lives a burning desire to uphold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-reuben-clark/may-the-lord-be-with-us-at-all-times-under-all-circumstances-may-he/) [J. Reuben Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-reuben-clark/) > [Liberals see the Constitution itself as 'living' and 'evolving' that is, gradually turning into something that would have been unrecognizable to its authors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberals-see-the-constitution-itself-as-living-and-evolving-that-is/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [Unfortunately, people are re-interpreting the Constitution as a living document, and it's not. It's a solid-based document and it shouldn't be played with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/unfortunately-people-are-re-interpreting-the-constitution-as-a-living/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [Constitution is a living document; no strict constructionism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/constitution-is-a-living-document-no-strict-constructionism/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We say, that the Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/we-say-that-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-is-a-glorious/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [Hence we say, that the Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/hence-we-say-that-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-is-a-glorious/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [It doesn't say anywhere in the Constitution this idea of the separation of church and state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/it-doesn-t-say-anywhere-in-the-constitution-this-idea-of-the/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [I used to say that the Constitution is not a living document. It's dead, dead, dead. But I've gotten better. I no longer say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-scalia/i-used-to-say-that-the-constitution-is-not-a-living-document-it-s/) [Antonin Scalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-scalia/) > [The Constitution is a living, breathing document that can speak to you and nobody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-constitution-is-a-living-breathing-document-that-can-speak-to-you/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [Saying the Constitution is a living document is the same as saying we don't have a Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/saying-the-constitution-is-a-living-document-is-the-same-as-saying-we/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [Some say the Constitution has robbed us of a proper land redistribution process. Others would want to look at other clauses. Well, it's South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-ramaphosa/some-say-the-constitution-has-robbed-us-of-a-proper-land/) [Cyril Ramaphosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-ramaphosa/) > [We need to put people on the bench that understand the Constitution is not a living and breathing document. It is to be interpreted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-need-to-put-people-on-the-bench-that-understand-the-constitution/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More Constitution quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. 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Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [While not widely reported, our victories in Iraq are plentiful. National elections, a democratic parliament and the drafting of a constitution are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/while-not-widely-reported-our-victories-in-iraq-are-plentiful/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [In a recent decision of the Supreme Court, not made, however, by the full court, and concurred in by only four justices, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bates-clark/in-a-recent-decision-of-the-supreme-court-not-made-however-by-the/) [John Bates Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bates-clark/) > [The judiciary must not take on the coloration of whatever may be popular at the moment. We are guardian of rights, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-bird/the-judiciary-must-not-take-on-the-coloration-of-whatever-may-be/) [Rose Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-bird/) > [There is not a revolution that succe Women are suffering because they are being excluded. The high military council excluded women from the committee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/there-is-not-a-revolution-that-succe-women-are-suffering-because-they/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“The Court has a special responsibility to ensure that the Constitution works in practice. While education, including the transmission of our civic values from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/the-court-has-a-special-responsibility-to-ensure-that-the/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [The Constitution is very clear on the - on the declaration of war or reacting to international crimes - crimes against nations. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pitts/the-constitution-is-very-clear-on-the-on-the-declaration-of-war-or/) Joe Pitts > [Nothing from man's hands, nor law, nor constitution, can be final. Truth alone is final.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sumner/nothing-from-man-s-hands-nor-law-nor-constitution-can-be-final-truth/) [Charles Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sumner/) > [“I am apprehensive, Sir, that in the warmth of my feelings, I may have uttered expressions, which were too vehement. If such has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/i-am-apprehensive-sir-that-in-the-warmth-of-my-feelings-i-may-have/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Conservative political opinion in America cleaves to the tradition of the judge as passive interpreter, believing that his absolute loyalty to authoritative law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/conservative-political-opinion-in-america-cleaves-to-the-tradition-of/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) [Browse all 4,507 Constitution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To say the Constitution is living is to say that it's dead.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Sowell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to-say-that-it-s-dead/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Constitution" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to-say-that-it-s-dead/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/thomas-sowell-247_constitution_to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to_101511.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/thomas-sowell-247_constitution_to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to_101511.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16b/thomas-sowell-247_constitution_to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to_101511.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To say the Constitution is living is to say that it's dead.” — Thomas Sowell", "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": "Thomas Sowell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To say the Constitution is living...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to-say-that-it-s-dead/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/to-say-the-constitution-is-living-is-to-say-that-it-s-dead/#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 } } ] } ```