--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No doubt, there are those who believe…" description: "\"No doubt, there are those who believe that judges-and particularly dissenting judges-write to hear themselves say, as it were, I I I. And no doubt, the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/william-j-brennan-15212_agree_no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-tha_1282764.jpg" --- # No doubt, there are those who believe that judges-and… ![“No doubt, there are those who believe that judges-and particularly dissenting judges-write to hear themselves say, as it were, I I I. And no doubt, there are also those who believe that judges are, like Joan Didion, primarily engaged in the writing of fiction. I cannot agree with either of those…” quote by William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/william-j-brennan-15212_agree_no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-tha_1282764.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/william-j-brennan-15212_agree_no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-tha_1282764.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/william-j-brennan-15212_agree_no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-tha_1282764.jpg) > “No doubt, there are those who believe that judges-and particularly dissenting judges-write to hear themselves say, as it were, I I I. And no doubt, there are also those who believe that judges are, like Joan Didion, primarily engaged in the writing of fiction. I cannot agree with either of those propositions.” [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author rejects two stereotypes about judges: that they are self‑indulgent or that they write fiction, asserting a more nuanced view of judicial work. **In simple terms:** Judges are neither self‑absorbed nor fictional writers; they have a serious role. Key Takeaway Respect the complexity of judicial responsibilities. Themes law judiciary stereotypes professionalism Mood critical analytical Type legal institutional When to use this quote - courtroom decisions - legal education - policy reform - public perception of law Key Concepts legal theory ethics institutional analysis Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do judges hold beyond legal interpretation? - How can the public better understand judicial work? A Different Perspective Judges may also be influenced by personal biases despite professionalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [As I have consistently recommended, we desperately need to find more black judges, particularly females, who are chronically underrepresented in our courts across London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lammy/as-i-have-consistently-recommended-we-desperately-need-to-find-more/) [David Lammy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lammy/) > [It's not easy. I make snap judgments, too, and I start to write people off. And then I start to remind myself of how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr/it-s-not-easy-i-make-snap-judgments-too-and-i-start-to-write-people/) [James Forman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr/) > [When I first joined 'Dancing with the Stars,' I did not want to do it. It's not what I like, it's not what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maksim-chmerkovskiy/when-i-first-joined-dancing-with-the-stars-i-did-not-want-to-do-it-it/) [Maksim Chmerkovskiy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maksim-chmerkovskiy/) > [The president strongly believes that marriage in this country ought to be between a man and a woman. He also believes it is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-mehlman/the-president-strongly-believes-that-marriage-in-this-country-ought/) [Ken Mehlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-mehlman/) > [Conservatives like to insist that their judges are strict constructionists, giving the Constitution and statutes their precise meaning and no more, while judges like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cohen/conservatives-like-to-insist-that-their-judges-are-strict/) [Adam Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cohen/) > [Maybe judges like fighters who run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-maidana/maybe-judges-like-fighters-who-run/) [Marcos Maidana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-maidana/) > [I've got that hands-on experience with federal judges and how important it is to have judges like Neil Gorsuch, who will take a rule-of-law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-strange/i-ve-got-that-hands-on-experience-with-federal-judges-and-how/) [Luther Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-strange/) > [Every faculty in one man is the measure by which he judges of the like faculty in another. I judge of your sight by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/every-faculty-in-one-man-is-the-measure-by-which-he-judges-of-the/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [Judges, like the criminal classes, have their lighter moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/judges-like-the-criminal-classes-have-their-lighter-moments/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I tried to fortify myself with the best nonfiction and fiction I could lay my hands on, from the essays of James Baldwin and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/i-tried-to-fortify-myself-with-the-best-nonfiction-and-fiction-i/) [Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/) > [I would be writing and trying to write like Joan Didion. Or if I was reading Raymond Carver. You know, strong stylists. But that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-would-be-writing-and-trying-to-write-like-joan-didion-or-if-i-was/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [Am I missing something because of my lack of education? Being an intellectual - I'm not. So I hire him as a corner man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-schiller/am-i-missing-something-because-of-my-lack-of-education-being-an/) [Lawrence Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-schiller/) > [There is something so hopeful about a diary, a journal, a new notebook, which Joan Didion and Virginia Woolf both wrote about. A blog.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-koppel/there-is-something-so-hopeful-about-a-diary-a-journal-a-new-notebook/) [Lily Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-koppel/) > [“Leid kommt, wenn es eintrifft, in nichts dem gleich, was wir erwarten. (Joan Didion)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leid-kommt-wenn-es-eintrifft-in-nichts-dem-gleich-was-wir-erwarten/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“His expression I remember from the first time I met him. Open, direct. But no longer anonymous. I know certain telling details now. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-hendricks/his-expression-i-remember-from-the-first-time-i-met-him-open-direct/) [Judi Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-hendricks/) ## More by William J. Brennan > [If our free society is to endure, those who govern must recognize human dignity and accept the enforcement of constitutional limitations on their power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/if-our-free-society-is-to-endure-those-who-govern-must-recognize/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [Capital punishment...treats members of the human race...as objects to be toyed with and discarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/capital-punishment-treats-members-of-the-human-race-as-objects-to-be/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [Debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust and wide-open and that...may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/debate-on-public-issues-should-be-uninhibited-robust-and-wide-open/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [The modern public school derived from a philosophy of freedom reflected in the First Amendment ... The non-sectarian or secular public school was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/the-modern-public-school-derived-from-a-philosophy-of-freedom/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [If a policeman must know the Constitution, then why not a planner?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/if-a-policeman-must-know-the-constitution-then-why-not-a-planner/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [Our statute books gradually became laden with gross, stereotyped distinctions between the sexes and, indeed, throughout much of the 19th century the position of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/our-statute-books-gradually-became-laden-with-gross-stereotyped/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [We cannot let colorblindness become myopia which masks the reality that many "created equal" have been treated within our lifetimes as inferior both by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/we-cannot-let-colorblindness-become-myopia-which-masks-the-reality/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [After each perceived security crisis ended, the United States has remorsefully realized that the abrogation of civil liberties was unnecessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/after-each-perceived-security-crisis-ended-the-united-states-has/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [The door of the Free Exercise Clause stands tightly closed against any government regulation of religious beliefs as such. Government may neither compel affirmation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/the-door-of-the-free-exercise-clause-stands-tightly-closed-against/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [One area of law more than any other besmirches the constitutional vision of human dignity. . . . The barbaric death penalty violates our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/one-area-of-law-more-than-any-other-besmirches-the-constitutional/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [“Thus, we consider this case against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate on public issues should be uninhibited,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/thus-we-consider-this-case-against-the-background-of-a-profound/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [Whether to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to prurient interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/whether-to-the-average-person-applying-contemporary-community/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [Our amended Constitution is the lodestar for our aspirations. Like every text worth reading, it is not crystalline. The phrasing is broad and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/our-amended-constitution-is-the-lodestar-for-our-aspirations-like/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [The public schools are supported entirely, in most communities, by public funds-funds exacted not only from parents, nor alone from those who hold particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/the-public-schools-are-supported-entirely-in-most-communities-by/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) > [The genius of the Constitution rests not in any static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and gone, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/the-genius-of-the-constitution-rests-not-in-any-static-meaning-it/) [William J. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) [Explore all 43 William J. Brennan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/) ## More Agree quotes > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. 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/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [ I will not agree to have this bill \[to repeal DADT \] go forward, because our economy is in the tank. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-will-not-agree-to-have-this-bill-to-repeal-dadt-go-forward-because/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [“I tend to agree with that little devil more and more these days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/i-tend-to-agree-with-that-little-devil-more-and-more-these-days/) [Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/) > [People might not agree with me, but I think a woman should have a feminine shape, something you can get your hands on. You,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/people-might-not-agree-with-me-but-i-think-a-woman-should-have-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [On 9-11, we discovered that we cannot escape from the world. To me personally, this was a life-changing experience, and I realized, as did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/on-9-11-we-discovered-that-we-cannot-escape-from-the-world-to-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [But I would say if the Security Council is only relevant if it agrees with the United States, then we have come a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-blix/but-i-would-say-if-the-security-council-is-only-relevant-if-it-agrees/) [Hans Blix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-blix/) > [We're never all going to agree with each other. We have to learn to value the diversity. It's one of the presumable principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/we-re-never-all-going-to-agree-with-each-other-we-have-to-learn-to/) [Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/) > [A contract is an ask game, and if it asks for an hour, and I submit to an hour, then it's an hour. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/a-contract-is-an-ask-game-and-if-it-asks-for-an-hour-and-i-submit-to/) [Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/) Browse all 3,079 Agree quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No doubt, there are those who believe that judges-and particularly dissenting judges-write to hear themselves say, as it were, I I I. And no doubt, there are also those who believe that judges are, like Joan Didion, primarily engaged in the writing of fiction. I cannot agree with either of those propositions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William J. Brennan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-that-judges-and-particularly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agree" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-that-judges-and-particularly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/william-j-brennan-15212_agree_no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-tha_1282764.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/william-j-brennan-15212_agree_no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-tha_1282764.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/william-j-brennan-15212_agree_no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-tha_1282764.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No doubt, there are those who believe that judges-and particularly dissenting judges-write to hear…” — William J. Brennan", "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": "William J. Brennan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-brennan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No doubt, there are those who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-that-judges-and-particularly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-brennan/no-doubt-there-are-those-who-believe-that-judges-and-particularly/#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 } } ] } ```