Popular

Browse Popular Topics

Quotes by Alan Dershowitz

All sides in a trial want to hide at least some of the truth.
– Alan Dershowitz
I have been defending Israel's right to exist, and to defend itself against terrorism, for many years-on college campuses, in television appearances and in debate.
– Alan Dershowitz
Israel and the Palestinians must resolve their own differences. The United States can play an important role as facilitator and guarantor.
– Alan Dershowitz
Israel's rabid opponents know that they cannot prevail if the true facts are known. That is why they are afraid of my book. They prefer to present false information to college students. I think that is an insult to the intelligence of students especially since the facts are so easily available to those who care to learn them.
– 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
Judges are the weakest link in our system of justice, and they are also the most protected.
– Alan Dershowitz
Not only I am not a cheerleader for Israel, I am extremely critical of certain Israeli policies, as I am of certain American, British, and French policies. As a strong supporter of the right to criticize, I encourage reasonable comparative and contextual criticism of all countries.
– Alan Dershowitz
The court of last resort is no longer the Supreme Court. It's Nightline.
– Alan Dershowitz
The defendant wants to hide the truth because he's generally guilty. The defense attorney's job is to make sure the jury does not arrive at that truth.
– Alan Dershowitz
The judge also has a truth he wants to hide: He often hasn't been completely candid in describing the facts or the law.
– Alan Dershowitz
The prosecution wants to make sure the process by which the evidence was obtained is not truthfully presented, because, as often as not, that process will raise questions.
– 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
We don't have an Official Secrets Act in the United States, as other countries do. Under the First Amendment, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of association are more important than protecting secrets.
– Alan Dershowitz
We all learn in school that the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government must check and balance each other. But other non state institutions must participate in this important system of checks and balances as well. These checking institutions include the academy, the media, religious institutions and NGOs.
– Alan Dershowitz
Twenty five percent of Israeli citizens are not even Jewish. Anybody can become an Israeli citizen if you qualify. Religion is not a criterion for citizenship.
– 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
It's never acceptable to target civilians. It violates the Geneva Accords, it violates the international law of war and it violates all principles of morality.
– Alan Dershowitz
Israel can't make peace without the clear support of the United States.
– Alan Dershowitz
In the Pentagon Papers case, the government asserted in the Supreme Court that the publication of the material was a threat to national security. It turned out it was not a threat to U.S. security. But even if it had been, that doesn't mean that it couldn't be published.
– Alan Dershowitz
I've thought hard about my psychological connections and I think I've managed to separate out the psychological from the legal, moral, and political.
– Alan Dershowitz
I think that lawyers are terrible at admitting that they're wrong. And not just admitting it also realizing it. Most lawyers are very successful, and they think that because they're making money and people think well of them, they must be doing everything right.
– Alan Dershowitz
I think mistakes are the essence of science and law. It's impossible to conceive of either scientific progress or legal progress without understanding the important role of being wrong and of mistakes.
– Alan Dershowitz
I learn from experience.
– Alan Dershowitz
I don't believe in firing professors. They have academic freedom.
– Alan Dershowitz
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 am deeply concerned that, without peace and a two-state solution, the Jewish and democratic nature of Israel is in danger. That's why I have opposed Israel's settlement policy since 1973, and that's why I have favored a two-state solution since 1967.
– Alan Dershowitz
I am a peace supporting Jew.
– Alan Dershowitz
Great research universities must insist on independence from government and on the exercise of academic freedom.
– Alan Dershowitz