Quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes
When twenty years ago a vague terror went over the earth and the word socialism began to be heard, I thought and still think that fear was translated into doctrines that had no proper place in the Constitution or the common law. Judges are apt to be naif, simple-minded men, and they need something of Mephistopheles. We too need education in the obviousto learn to transcend our own convictions and to leave room for much that we hold dear to be done away with short of revolution by the orderly change of law.
Summary
In this quote, the speaker reflects on the fear that arose around socialism twenty years ago. They believe that this fear was unfounded and that it led to the creation of doctrines that had no basis in the Constitution or common law. The speaker acknowledges that judges may lack worldly wisdom and suggests that they need a more complex understanding of the world. They argue that society as a whole also needs to be educated to see beyond their own beliefs and make room for necessary changes through legal means, rather than through disruptive revolution.
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