--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You do what you think is right and let…" description: "\"You do what you think is right and let the law catch up,\" — Thurgood Marshall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/thurgood-marshall-10063_inspirational_you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-t_2400093.png" --- # You do what you think is right and let the law catch up, ![“You do what you think is right and let the law catch up,” quote by Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/thurgood-marshall-10063_inspirational_you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-t_2400093.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/thurgood-marshall-10063_inspirational_you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-t_2400093.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/thurgood-marshall-10063_inspirational_you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-t_2400093.png) > “You do what you think is right and let the law catch up,” [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Act according to conscience first; legal systems will eventually align with moral justice. **In simple terms:** Do right, law follows. Key Takeaway Trust personal ethics over delayed legal change. Themes justice morality law activism Mood determined hopeful Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - social activism - legal reform - personal decision making Key Concepts civil rights ethical leadership Questions to Reflect On - What moral actions can you take now? - How do you handle when law lags behind ethics? A Different Perspective Legal change can be slow and uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Do what you think is right and let the law catch up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-the-law-catch-up/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [That's basically the mantra of Herr Silverman's teaching - think for yourself and do what's right for you, but let others do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/that-s-basically-the-mantra-of-herr-silverman-s-teaching-think-for/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I think I have a right to live my life the way I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-think-i-have-a-right-to-live-my-life-the-way-i-like/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [Fuck u if u still think that u are right and always were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritesh/fuck-u-if-u-still-think-that-u-are-right-and-always-were/) [Ritesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritesh/) > [I know that my friends are right. I have to let go and soar. I have to be free. I knew that this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-that-my-friends-are-right-i-have-to-let-go-and-soar-i-have-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Right when you let your guard down for someone they do something to remind you why you always had it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/right-when-you-let-your-guard-down-for-someone-they-do-something-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-right-to-be-let-alone-is-indeed-the-beginning-of-all-freedom/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [“That's right, let it happen bella. Take what you want.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-canavan/that-s-right-let-it-happen-bella-take-what-you-want/) D.B. Canavan > [How do you know that hes the right one and if he is what if you have already let him go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-do-you-know-that-hes-the-right-one-and-if-he-is-what-if-you-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Are you comfortable right there, right there? Let the groove get in there, there, right there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-timberlake/are-you-comfortable-right-there-right-there-let-the-groove-get-in/) [Justin Timberlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-timberlake/) > [“When was it all right to let go not only of the dead but of the living - to learn to accept?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/when-was-it-all-right-to-let-go-not-only-of-the-dead-but-of-the/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“Maybe it was all right to let things be broken for awhile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elana-k-arnold/maybe-it-was-all-right-to-let-things-be-broken-for-awhile/) [Elana K. Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elana-k-arnold/) > [He will hew to the line of right, let the chips fly where they may.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roscoe-conkling/he-will-hew-to-the-line-of-right-let-the-chips-fly-where-they-may/) [Roscoe Conkling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roscoe-conkling/) > [“Do whatever you have to do that’s right in front you. Let everything else go. That’s concentration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/do-whatever-you-have-to-do-that-s-right-in-front-you-let-everything/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [It’s easy to do right when everything goes right. But let everything go wrong, and see how difficult it becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/it-s-easy-to-do-right-when-everything-goes-right-but-let-everything/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) ## More by Thurgood Marshall > [None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/none-of-us-got-where-we-are-solely-by-pulling-ourselves-up-by-our/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [This is a great country, but fortunately for you, it is not perfect. There is much to be done to bring about complete equality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/this-is-a-great-country-but-fortunately-for-you-it-is-not-perfect/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [Classifications and distinctions based on race or color have no moral or legal validity in our society. They are contrary to our constitution and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/classifications-and-distinctions-based-on-race-or-color-have-no-moral/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/our-whole-constitutional-heritage-rebels-at-the-thought-of-giving/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [We are all the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/we-are-all-the-same/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [We could get more action in the South because the Negroes had a feeling that they were being oppressed. But you take New York,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/we-could-get-more-action-in-the-south-because-the-negroes-had-a/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [We must dissent from the fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/we-must-dissent-from-the-fear/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [I have a lifetime appointment and I intend to serve it. I expect to die at 110, shot by a jealous husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/i-have-a-lifetime-appointment-and-i-intend-to-serve-it-i-expect-to/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [The Ku Klux Klan never dies. They just stop wearing sheets because sheets cost too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/the-ku-klux-klan-never-dies-they-just-stop-wearing-sheets-because/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [Some may more quietly commemorate the suffering, struggle, and sacrifice that has triumphed over much of what was wrong with the original document, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/some-may-more-quietly-commemorate-the-suffering-struggle-and/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [It is now well established that the Constitution protects the right to receive information and ideas. ... This right to receive information and ideas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/it-is-now-well-established-that-the-constitution-protects-the-right/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [To the contrary, the government they devised was defective from the start, requiring several amendments, a civil war and momentous social transformation to attain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/to-the-contrary-the-government-they-devised-was-defective-from-the/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [Today's Constitution is a realistic document of freedom only because of several corrective amendments. Those amendments speak to a sense of decency and fairness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/today-s-constitution-is-a-realistic-document-of-freedom-only-because/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [Truth is more than a mental exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/truth-is-more-than-a-mental-exercise/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [I wish I could say that racism and prejudice were only distant memories. We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/i-wish-i-could-say-that-racism-and-prejudice-were-only-distant/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) [Explore all 68 Thurgood Marshall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You do what you think is right and let the law catch up,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thurgood Marshall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-the-law-catch-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-the-law-catch-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/thurgood-marshall-10063_inspirational_you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-t_2400093.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/thurgood-marshall-10063_inspirational_you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-t_2400093.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/thurgood-marshall-10063_inspirational_you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-t_2400093.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You do what you think is right and let the law catch up,” — Thurgood Marshall", "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": "Thurgood Marshall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You do what you think is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-the-law-catch-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/you-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-let-the-law-catch-up/#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 } } ] } ```