30 Bryan Stevenson Quotes On Law, Race And Social Justice
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In times of opportunism, selfishness and acquisitiveness we can literally count the number of people who still believe in public-spirited attitude and work selflessly in that interest; Bryan Stevenson is one such leading light, who notably fills in these attributes.
"It can be a challenge, but my legacy, at least for the people who came before me, is you don't run from challenges because that's more comfortable and convenient" is a quote by Bryan Stevenson, a highly renowned and eminent public interest lawyer who explains his true personality.
For him, challenge is the way of life; in fact life begins out of one's comfort zone.
In fact, Equal Justice Initiative under his leadership has won major legal challenges, eliminating excessive and unjust convictions while advocating for criminal-justice reforms and racial justice.
A man of principal and a fighter, Bryan Stevenson, in the 30 years since the establishment of Equal Justice Initiative, has worked actively to free as many as 100 wrongly convicted inmates and won relief or reversals for about 135 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row.
Uttering famous ideas such as the opposite of poverty is justice", among other famous quotes.
Here are some of the best Bryan Stevenson quotes for you to gain some much needed motivation.
After reading these Bryan Stevenson quotes, you should also check out our social justice quotes and Thurgood Marshall quotes.
Best Bryan Stevenson Quotes
Bryan Stevenson always has some prominent, inspiring and motivating lesson in store for the masses. Bryan Stevenson is also the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, ‘Just Mercy: A Story of Justice And Redemption’.
'Just Mercy' was made into a major motion picture, starring Michael B. Jordan. So here we have collected some of the top Bryan Stevenson quotes for you along with Bryan Stevenson 'Just Mercy' quotes and help quotes by Bryan Stevenson.
1. “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.”
– Bryan Stevenson.
2. “We all have a responsibility to create a just society.”
– Bryan Stevenson.
3. “The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.”
– Bryan Stevenson.
4. “I don't think there's been a time in American history with more innocent people in prison.”
– Bryan Stevenson.
5. “We all have a responsibility to create a just society.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
6. “Many states can no longer afford to support public education, public benefits, and public services without doing something about the exorbitant costs that mass incarceration have created.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
7. “Somebody has to stand when other people are sitting. Somebody has to speak when other people are quiet.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
8. “We're all burdened by our history of racial inequality. It's created a kind of smog that we all breathe in, and it has prevented us from being healthy.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
9. “I'm not persuaded that the opposite of poverty is wealth - I've come to believe...that the opposite of poverty is justice.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
Bryan Stevenson Quotes About Law
Whether it be Bryan Stevenson quotes about children or Bryan Stevenson quotes on death penalty, his words are extremely powerful. He has always fought against injustice meted out to the condemned. Read on for some of the best Bryan Stevenson quotes that will make you treat the poor with mercy.
10. “Most parents have long understood that kids don't have the judgment, the maturity, the impulse control and insight necessary to make complicated lifelong decisions.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
11. “I'm persuaded that if most people saw what I see on a regular basis, they would want change.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
12. “I love museums, and I think they're fantastic, but they don't touch the people who I frequently think need to be touched with at least some reminder of legacy.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
13. “You don’t change the world with the ideas in your mind, but with the conviction in your heart.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
14. “We have a system of justice in [the US] that treats you much better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent. Wealth, not culpability, shapes outcomes.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
15. “Whenever society begins to create policies and laws rooted in fear and anger, there will be abuse and injustice.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
16. “Why do we want to kill all the broken people? What is wrong with us, that we think a thing like that can be right?”
- Bryan Stevenson, ‘Just Mercy’.
17. “Intuitively we all like to seek the things that are comfortable rather than uncomfortable."
- Bryan Stevenson.
18. “Increasingly, I was recognizing the importance of hopefulness in creating justice.”
- Bryan Stevenson, ‘Just Mercy’.
19. “There's always something we can do. Whatever you did, your life is still meaningful.”
-Bryan Stevenson Quotes From, ‘Just Mercy’ (2019).
20. “The first time I visited Death Row, I wasn't expecting to meet someone the same age as me... from a neighborhood just like ours coulda been me.”
- Bryan Stevenson, ‘Just Mercy’ (2019).
21. “I came out of law school with grand ideas in my mind about how to change the world.
But Mr. McMillian made me realize we can't change the world with only ideas in our minds. We need conviction in our hearts. This man taught me how to stay hopeful, because I now know that hopelessness is the enemy of justice.
Hope allows us to push for word, even when the truth is distorted by the people in power. It allows us to stand when they tell us to sit down, and to speak when they say be quiet.”
- Bryan Stevenson, ‘Just Mercy’ (2019).
Motivating Bryan Stevenson Quotes
He is a popularly acclaimed lawyer who has devoted his career to aiding the poor, the detained, and the denounced. Founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a Montgomery Alabama-based, human rights organization, Stevenson has won multiple cases at the United States Supreme Court.
Read on for some of the best Bryan Stevenson quotes along with Bryan Stevenson Ted Talk quotes that this author has written, inspiring hope.
22. “Capital punishment means them without the capital get the punishment.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
23. “Fear and anger are a threat to justice. They can infect a community, a state, or a nation, and make us blind, irrational, and dangerous.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
24. “We all have a responsibility to create a just society.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
25. “Always do the right thing even when the right thing is the hard thing.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
26. “But simply punishing the broken – walking away from them or hiding them from sight – only ensures that they remain broken and we do, too. There is no wholeness outside of our reciprocal humanity.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
27. “The greatest evil of American slavery was not involuntary servitude but rather the narrative of racial differences we created to legitimate slavery. Because we never dealt with that evil, I don’t think slavery ended in 1865, it just evolved.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
28. “But Walter's case also taught me something else: there is light within this darkness.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
29. “The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it's necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and—perhaps—we all need some measure of unmerited grace.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
30. “I do think there is a way of saying that if I believe in justice and I believe that justice is a constant struggle, and if I want to create justice, then I have to get comfortable with struggle.”
- Bryan Stevenson.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Bryan Stevenson quotes, then why not take a look at activism quotes, or Bob Goff quotes.
Main Image Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English and Drama, Master of Arts specializing in Performance: Design and Practice
Luca DemetriouBachelor of Arts specializing in English and Drama, Master of Arts specializing in Performance: Design and Practice
Experienced in writing and sub-editing, Luca holds a Bachelor's in English Literature and Drama from the University of Birmingham, where he served as the culture editor at Redbrick Paper. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Performance: Design and Practice at the University of the Arts in London, showcasing his passion for the arts, performance, and history. With a keen interest in traveling, Luca enjoys exploring new cultures and experiencing diverse perspectives.
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