Judgment

"Le devoir des juges est de rendre justice, leur métier est de la différer; quelques uns savent leur devoir, et font leur métier."

"Half as sober as a judge."

"No man can be judged except against the background of his own time. The standard of yesterday are not the standards of today, and the circumstance of daily life were vastly different. Before one attempts to render judgment, one should consider the world in which the man existed, and the customs of the time and place."

"On est quelquefois un sot avec de l'esprit; mais on ne l'est jamais avec du jugement."

"And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again."

"If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it."

"He that judges without informing himself to the utmost that he is capable, cannot acquit himself of judging amiss."

"We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done."

"Bisogna che i giudici siano assai, perché pochi sempre fanno a modo de' pochi."

"And thus methinks should men of judgment frame Their means of traffic from the vulgar trade, And, as their wealth increaseth, so inclose Infinite riches in a little room."

"Give your decisions, never your reasons; your decisions may be right, your reasons are sure to be wrong."

"My suit has nothing to do with the assault, or battery, or poisoning, but is about three goats, which, I complain, have been stolen by my neighbor. This the judge desires to have proved to him; but you, with swelling words and extravagant gestures, dilate on the Battle of Cannæ, the Mithridatic war, and the perjuries of the insensate Carthaginians, the Syllæ, the Marii, and the Mucii. It is time, Postumus, to say something about my three goats."

"I pleaded your cause, Sextus, having agreed to do so for two thousand sesterces. How is it that you have sent me only a thousand? "You said nothing," you tell me; "and this cause was lost through you." You ought to give me so much the more, Sextus, as I had to blush for you."

"Judge thyself with the judgment of sincerity, and thou wilt judge others with the judgment of charity."

"When thou attended gloriously from heaven, Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send Thy summoning archangels to proclaim Thy dread tribunal."

"There written all Black as the damning drops that fall From the denouncing Angel's pen, Ere Mercy weeps them out again."

"In judging ourselves, we cannot be too severe; in judging others, we cannot be too candid. We should judge ourselves by our motives, but others by their actions."

"Judicis officium est ut res ita tempora rerum Quærere."

"Each one of us is... called upon to give a judgment upon an immense variety of problems, crucial for our social existence. If that judgment confirms measures and conduct tending to the increased welfare of society, then it may be termed a moral, or, better, a social judgment. It follows, then, that to ensure a judgement's being moral, method and knowledge are essential to its formation. ...[T]he formation of a moral judgment—that is, one which the individual is reasonably certain will tend to social welfare— does not depend solely on the readiness to sacrifice individual gain or comfort, or on the impulse to act unselfishly: it depends in the first place on knowledge and method. The first demand of the state upon the individual is not for self-sacrifice but for self-development. ...[T]he man who gives a vote... in the choice of a representative, after forming a judgement based upon knowledge, is... acting socially, and is fulfilling a higher standard of citizenship."

"A Judge must bear in mind that when he tries a case he is himself on trial."

"Look, as sentient meat, however illusory our identities are, we craft those identities by making value judgments: everybody judges, all the time. Now, you got a problem with that... You're livin' wrong."

"You are young, my son, and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters... Not one of them who took up in his youth with this opinion that there are no gods ever continued until old age faithful to his conviction."

"Tis with our judgments as our watches, none Go just alike, yet each believes his own."

"The hungry judges soon the sentence sign, And wretches hang that jurymen may dine."

"You cannot avoid making judgements but you can become more conscious of the way in which you make them. This is critically important because once we judge someone or something we tend to stop thinking about them or it."

"Since twelve honest men have decided the cause, And were judges of fact, tho' not judges of laws."

"You will remember that Christ said, "Judge not lest ye be judged." That principle I do not think you would find was popular in the law courts of Christian countries. I have known in my time quite a number of judges who were very earnest Christians, and none of them felt that they were acting contrary to Christian principles in what they did. Then Christ says, "Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." That is a very good principle... Then there is one other maxim of Christ which I think has a great deal in it, but I do not find that it is very popular among some of our Christian friends. He says, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor." That is a very excellent maxim, but, as I say, it is not much practised. All these, I think, are good maxims, although they are a little difficult to live up to. I do not profess to live up to them myself; but then, after all, it is not quite the same thing as for a Christian."

"Denn aller Ausgang ist ein Gottesurtheil."

"Commonly we say a Judgment falls upon a Man for something in him we cannot abide."

"Si judicas, cognosce: si regnas, jube."

"For I do not distinguish by the eye, but by the mind, which is the proper judge of the man."

"We cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of one who gives and kindles joy in the heart of one who receives. All condemnation is from the devil. Never condemn each other, not even those whom you catch committing an evil deed. We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves. When we gaze at our own failings, we see such a morass of filth that nothing in another can equal it. That is why we turn away, and make much of the faults of others. Keep away from the spilling of speech. Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgement. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult, outrage, and will shield your glowing hearts against the evil that creeps around."

"We shall be judged, not by what we might have been, but what we have been."

"He that of greatest works is finisher Oft does them by the weakest minister: So holy writ in babes hath judgment shown, When judges have been babes."

"I see men's judgments are A parcel of their fortunes; and things outward Do draw the inward quality after them, To suffer all alike."

"Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment."

"Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all."

"What we oft do best, By sick interpreters, once weak ones, is Not ours, or not allow'd; what worst, as oft, Hitting a grosser quality, is cried up For our best act."

"Therefore I say again, I utterly abhor, yea from my soul Refuse you for my judge; whom, yet once more, I hold my most malicious foe, and think not At all a friend to truth."

"Heaven is above all yet; there sits a judge, That no king can corrupt."

"O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason!"

"The jury, passing on the prisoner's life, May in the sworn twelve have a thief or two Guiltier than him they try."

"How would you be, If He, which is the top of judgment, should But judge you as you are?"

"Thieves for their robbery have authority When judges steal themselves."

"He who the sword of heaven will bear Should be as holy as severe; Pattern in himself to know, Grace to stand, and virtue go; More nor less to others paying Than by self-offenses weighing. Shame to him, whose cruel striking Kills for faults of his own liking!"

"To offend, and judge, are distinct offices And of opposed natures."

"I stand for judgment: answer: shall I have it?"

"A Daniel come to judgment! yea, a Daniel."

"It doth appear you are a worthy judge; You know the law; your exposition Hath been most sound."

"I charge you by the law, Whereof you are a well deserving pillar, Proceed to judgment."