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 "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 |
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 |
Learned Hand
...I got much more. I carried away the impress of a band of devoted scholars; patient, considerate, courteous, and kindly...Again and again they have helped me when the labor seemed heavy, the task seemed trivial, and the confusion seemed indecipherable. From them I learned that it is as craftsmen that we get our satisfactions and our pay.
- Learned Hand, reminiscing about his law school professors |