Justice Louis D. Brandeis, (1856-1941) US Supreme Court Justice Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page Justice Louis D. Brandeis Quote “The government is the potent omnipresent teacher. For good or ill it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that the end justifies the means -- to declare that the government may commit crimes -- would bring terrible retribution.”Justice Louis D. Brandeis ~ Justice Louis D. Brandeis (1856-1941) US Supreme Court JusticeOlmstead v. United States, 277 US 438, 1928 Anarchy , Conscience , Corruption , Crime , Government , Hypocrisy , Law , Prison , Usurpation Ratings and Comments Reply Brent Bird, portland, or 12/20/05 Vigilantism, Timothy Mcveigh, and the current distrust amongst many for our government (to name but a few) are resounding reasons why this quote is so "potent". Reply Gary Frye, Concord, NC 8/18/06 Agree 100%. In fact, most governments end up this way eventually. Just read 1 Samuel 8, which describes what an evil King/Government will do, then put it to today's language. Have any questions? Reply ivan damjanov, Shawnee Mission 12/13/06 Reply jacqueline polk, apple valley 7/12/08 Justice Brandeis is brillant. His quotes remain timeless. The goverment and its agencies including law enforcement justify their criminal activities by declaring that the end justifies the means. Could this be the reason 2,000,000+ people are incarcerated in the U.S. today? Reply Mike, Norwalk 3/21/14 WOW ! ! ! It doesn't get more accurate than that. The current police state's atrocities lead the way by example in a degenerating nation of corruption. Said very well. Reply anonymous 3/21/14 Louis D. Brandeis was a wise man. Would we could all be so wise in our perspectives. Reply jim k, austin tx 3/21/14 jaqueline polk, you said it very well. The main reason that our jails are filled up is this miserable War on Drugs. Prohibition always creates many more problems than it cures. Check out LEAP.cc on the web. Reply Ron w13, Or 3/21/14 Retribution does come. Contempt for law is rampant. Violation of common sense does breed contempt and mistrust of our government and its leadership. Reply E Archer, NYC 3/21/14 Reply Mary-MI 3/24/14 Justice Louis D. Brandeis was absolutely correct and his warning has come to full fruition. The federal government has become lawless in often violating the U.S. Constitution ... and in brazenly displaying full out contempt for this sovereign nation's ONLY Supreme Rule of Law. SaveOk2 SaveOk2 View CommentsClick to view or comment. Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print This Justice Louis D. Brandeis quote is found in these categories: Anarchy quotes Conscience quotes Corruption quotes Crime quotes Government quotes Hypocrisy quotes Law quotes Prison quotes Usurpation quotes About Justice Louis D. Brandeis Bio of Justice Louis D. Brandeis Quotations by Justice Louis D. Brandeis Books by/about Justice Louis D. Brandeis Justice Louis D. Brandeis videos Justice Louis D. Brandeis on Wikipedia Astrological chart for Justice Louis D. Brandeis