Alan Dershowitz Quotes

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Alan Dershowitz

Profession : Lawyer

Birth : September 1, 1938

I came from a poor family, so working and going to school at the same time was natural. It taught me multi-tasking, although we didn't call it that back then. I learned I could never be idle, I need to be doing many things at once.

Alan Dershowitz

I can't find anything in the Constitution that says you prefer the life of the mother, or the convenience of the mother if it's an abortion by choice, over the potential life of the fetus. Look, I think women, if they're required to not have abortions, could die and could - so I favor a woman's right to choose.

Alan Dershowitz

The sad reality is that there are no purely domestic issues in Israel. Issues that would be dealt with by municipalities in other countries - such as how to deal with a dangerous bridge or how to resolve conflicts between religious and secular bus riders - become major international issues when they occur in Israel.

Alan Dershowitz

Juries are not computers. They are composed of human beings who evaluate evidence differently.

Alan Dershowitz

It simply cannot be disputed that for decades the Palestinian leadership was more interested in there not being a Jewish state than in there being a Palestinian state.

Alan Dershowitz

Hypocrisy is not a way of getting back to the moral high ground. Pretending you're moral, saying you're moral is not the same as acting morally.

Alan Dershowitz

Freedom of speech means freedom for those who you despise, and freedom to express the most despicable views. It also means that the government cannot pick and choose which expressions to authorize and which to prevent.

Alan Dershowitz

It's every lawyer's dream to help shape the law, not just react to it.

Alan Dershowitz

You know, it's ironic to me that Christians want to keep the Ten Commandments in our schools, because Christianity has abrogated four of the Ten Commandments. For example, the Sabbath day according to the Ten Commandments is Saturday, not Sunday. And the reason is because God rested, not because Jesus was resurrected.

Alan Dershowitz

No country in the history of the world has ever contributed more to humankind and accomplished more for its people in so brief a period of time as Israel has done since its relatively recent rebirth in 1948.

Alan Dershowitz

Candor and accountability in a democracy is very important. Hypocrisy has no place.

Alan Dershowitz

The threat or fear of violence should not become an excuse or justification for restricting freedom of speech.

Alan Dershowitz

Asymmetrical warfare is a euphemism for terrorism, just like collateral damage is a euphemism for killing innocent civilians.

Alan Dershowitz

The vast majority of gun owners don't kill, but people who do kill, tend to kill with guns, and often with illegal guns.

Alan Dershowitz

When I was growing up, my mother would always say, 'It will go on your permanent record.' There was no 'permanent record.' If there were a 'permanent record,' I'd never be able to be a lawyer. I was such a bum in elementary school and high school... There is a permanent record today, and it's called the Internet.

Alan Dershowitz

A good lawyer knows how to shut up when he's won his case.

Alan Dershowitz

Every lawsuit results from somebody doing something wrong. If everybody did right, we wouldn't need laws.

Alan Dershowitz

Being offended by freedom of speech should never be regarded as a justification for violence.

Alan Dershowitz

When you discriminate against anyone, you discriminate against everyone. It's a display of terrible intolerance.

Alan Dershowitz

My goal is always to keep support for Israel a bi-partisan issue and never make a national election any kind of referendum on Israel.

Alan Dershowitz