The Hands: A Legal Dynasty
"A prescription for becoming the perfect district judge...
would be always to quote Learned and always to follow Gus."
~ Justice Robert H. Jackson
Augustus Cincinnatus Hand
Knowledge now in America is a tremendous lever of power. But the knowledge I speak of costs labor & cannot be obtained as the honey is sipped by insects buzzing here & there...I do admire the strong-minded (person) of real knowledge & if...of common sense & not dishonest, in 99 cases in 100, he will be a (person) of influence.
- Augustus Cincinnatus Hand, from a letter written to his sons, Clifford and Samuel, dated September 16, 1848 |
Augustus "Gus" Noble Hand
(Seek) moderation and an attempt to appeal to everybody to be reasonably fair and detached in (one's) judgements...The talk of (some) about the movements of the day is distressingly ignorant and can hardly be exceeded in intolerance or stupidity by (others) who advocate everything that involves change.
- Augustus Noble Hand, discussing forbearance and tolerance in the face of the inevitability of change |
Learned Hand
Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it...An what is this liberty which must lie in the hearts of men and women? It is not ruthless, the unbridled will; it is not freedom to do as one likes. That is the denial of liberty, and leads straight to its overthrow.
- Learned Hand, from his "The Spirit of Liberty" speech given on May 21, 1944 |