I do not ask the clemency of the court. I came into it to get justice, having failed in this, I demand the full rigors of the law.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker demands full legal punishment rather than mercy, because she sought justice and was denied.
- In plain terms
- I do not want pity; I want the law to treat me fairly.
- What can you take from it?
- Consistency in law matters more than pity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What is true justice?
- Should mercy matter?
Another view
Courts often show mercy inconsistently.
More from Susan B. Anthony
The only chance women have for justice in this country is to violate the law, as I have done, and as I shall continue to do.
Permalink to quote #18 Even, under such circumstances, a commoner of England, tried before a jury of Lords, would have far less cause to complain than should I, a woman, tried before…
Permalink to quote #20 I have many things to say. My every right, constitutional, civil, political and judicial has been tramped upon. I have not only had no jury of my peers, but I …
Permalink to quote #17
Related quotes
The issue which concern all of us as citizens of this country, irrespective of our political beliefs and ethnicity, is this: if we are to forbear all legal pro…
Ratu Joni MadraiwiwiRatu Joni Madraiwiwi quote #2 No court can make time stand still.
Felix FrankfurterFelix Frankfurter quote #3 But ignorance of the law is no excuse. A person is guilty even if he breaks the law unknowingly. I shall be perhaps the first of the defendants to get up on th…
Walther FunkWalther Funk quote #3