--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And that's the terrible thing about these…" description: "\"“And that's the terrible thing about these past trials, is that they have this aura of legitimacy, this aura of legality. I suspect that better men tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/william-m-kunstler-76790_legal-system_and-that-s-the-terrible-thing-about-thes_1501319.jpg" --- # And that's the terrible thing about these past trials, is… ![“And that's the terrible thing about these past trials, is that they have this aura of legitimacy, this aura of legality. I suspect that better men than the world has known and more of them, have gone to their deaths through a legal system than through all the illegalities in the history of man…” quote by William M. Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/william-m-kunstler-76790_legal-system_and-that-s-the-terrible-thing-about-thes_1501319.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/william-m-kunstler-76790_legal-system_and-that-s-the-terrible-thing-about-thes_1501319.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c74/william-m-kunstler-76790_legal-system_and-that-s-the-terrible-thing-about-thes_1501319.jpg) > ““And that's the terrible thing about these past trials, is that they have this aura of legitimacy, this aura of legality. I suspect that better men than the world has known and more of them, have gone to their deaths through a legal system than through all the illegalities in the history of man. Six million people in Europe during the Third Reich? Legal. Sacco Vanzetti? Quite legal. The Haymarket defendants? Legal. The hundreds of rape trials throughout the South where black men were condemned to death? All legal. Jesus? Legal. Socrates? Legal. And that is the kaleidoscopic nature of what we live through here and in other places. Because all tyrants learn that it is far better to do this thing through some semblance of legality than to do it without that pretense.”” [William M. Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-m-kunstler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Legitimacy can mask injustice; laws may enable oppression as much as protect. **In simple terms:** Laws can hide wrongdoing. Key Takeaway Question the morality of legal actions. Themes justice law morality power history Mood critical thought‑provoking Type political historical When to use this quote - courtroom defense - policy reform - human rights advocacy - educational curricula Key Concepts legal legitimacy ethical paradox historical oppression Questions to Reflect On - What examples show law protecting the unjust? - How can societies reform unjust legal systems? A Different Perspective Legal frameworks are often resistant to change despite moral failings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defendants Legal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defendants-legal-5504619/) [Legal Hundreds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal-hundreds-5504620/) [Legal Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal-jesus-1336983/) [Legal Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal-socrates-1336981/) [Legal system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal-system/) [Legality Pretense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legality-pretense-5504618/) ## Related quotes > [“And that’s the terrible myth of organized society. That everything that’s done through the established system is legal. And that word has a powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-kunstler/and-that-s-the-terrible-myth-of-organized-society-that-everything/) [William M. 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But when we understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/none-of-us-like-the-concept-of-law-because-none-of-us-like-the/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Torture is such a slippery slope; as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/torture-is-such-a-slippery-slope-as-soon-as-you-allow-a-society-or/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [There have been some gains made in terms of more equality for women in the workplace and in the way the legal system deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chapman/there-have-been-some-gains-made-in-terms-of-more-equality-for-women/) [Tracy Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chapman/) > [ “I believe \[...\] that while all human life is sacred there’s nothing wrong with the death penalty if you can trust the legal system… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-believe-that-while-all-human-life-is-sacred-there-s-nothing-wrong/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The right to a trial is a core principle of the American legal system. Depriving Americans of these essential liberties undermines the Constitution while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-garamendi/the-right-to-a-trial-is-a-core-principle-of-the-american-legal-system/) [John Garamendi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-garamendi/) [Browse all 210 Legal system quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal-system/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And that's the terrible thing about these past trials, is that they have this aura of legitimacy, this aura of legality. I suspect that better men than the world has known and more of them, have gone to their deaths through a legal system than through all the illegalities in the history of man. Six million people in Europe during the Third Reich? Legal. Sacco Vanzetti? Quite legal. The Haymarket defendants? Legal. The hundreds of rape trials throughout the South where black men were condemned to death? All legal. Jesus? Legal. Socrates? Legal. 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