The words of the Constitution are so unrestricted by their intrinsic meaning or by their history or by tradition or by prior decisions that they leave the individual Justice free, if indeed they do not compel him, to gather meaning not from reading the Constitution but from reading life.

Summary

This quote suggests that the words of the Constitution are not limited by their literal meaning, historical context, traditional interpretations, or previous judgments. Instead, individual Justices should have the freedom, and even the obligation, to interpret the Constitution by considering the realities of contemporary life. It implies that the Constitution should be a living document that adapts to the changing circumstances, allowing Justices to derive meaning from the world they observe and experience. Rather than solely relying on the text, they should consider the context in which it is applied.

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