Great Throughts Treasury

"I'm alone and outgunned, scared and inexperienced, but I'm right."

"I'm not in favor of the death penalty. But I'm in favor of locking these people away in maximum security units where they can never get out. They can never escape. They can never be paroled. Lock the bad ones away. But you gotta rethink everybody else."

"I'm not itching to sue Amazon or Wal-Mart... they sell a lot of books. But the future is very uncertain with books."

"I'm being followed so much I'm causing traffic jams."

"In a famous 1963 decision, Brady v. Maryland, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment, irrespective of the good faith or bad faith of the prosecution."

"In his haste to get his client on and off the stand with as little damage as possible, Barney neglected to rebut most of the allegations from the state?s witnesses. Ron could have explained his dream confession to Rogers and Featherstone the night after his arrest."

"In one long glorious acknowledgment of failure, he laid himself bare before God."

"In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the importance of forgiveness. He knows we?re human and our natural tendency is to seek revenge, to strike back, to condemn those who hurt us, but this is wrong. We?re supposed to forgive, always."

"In 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case known as Bishop v. United States, ruled that the conviction of a mentally incompetent person was a denial of due process. Where doubt exists as to a person?s mental competency, the failure to conduct a proper inquiry is a deprivation of his constitutional rights."

"In life, finding a voice is speaking and living the truth. Each of you is an original. Each of you has a distinctive voice. When you find it, your story will be told. You will be heard."

"It features strong coffee, real yogurt, decent bagels, and a layer of rich, blue cigarette smoke that?s a throwback to the days not long ago when it was common to eat in a restaurant while inhaling the fumes and vapors of those close by. Nowadays, it?s still hard to believe we tolerated that."

"In little pockets of conversation, old men were telling stories of ancient floods. Women were talking of about how much rain there'd been in other towns -- Paragould, Lepanto, and Manila."

"It was simply unheard of for a member of the firm to ignore his billing."

"It?s just as well that we don?t believe in fair trials because we damned sure don?t have them. The presumption of innocence is now the presumption of guilt. The burden of proof is a travesty because the proof is often lies. Guilt beyond a reasonable doubt means if he probably did it, then let?s get him off the streets."

"It's a game. We tax lawyers teach the rich how to play it so they can stay rich-and the IRS keeps changing the rules so we can keep getting rich teaching them."

"It's amazing how lies grow. You start with a small one that seems easy to cover, then you get boxed in and tell another one. Then another. People believe you at first, then they act upon your lies, and you catch yourself wishing you'd simply told the truth."

"It wasn?t a romance; they were too young for that. Theo did not know of a single thirteen-year-old boy in his class who admitted to having a girlfriend."

"It's as if we spend our entire lives avoiding Jell-O but it is always there at the end, waiting."

"I've sold too many books to get good reviews anymore. There's a lot of jealousy, because [reviewers] think they can write a good novel or a best-seller and get frustrated when they can't. I've learned to despise them."

"Jesus preached more and taught more about helping the poor and the sick and the hungry than he did about heaven and hell. Shouldn't that tell us something?"

"Justice cannot be equal where, simply as a result of his poverty, a defendant is denied the opportunity to participate meaningfully in a judicial proceeding in which his liberty is at stake."

"I've written 17 novels, and I've found out that fiction can't keep up with real life."

"Keeping a guy in prison costs 50,000 bucks a year. Executing one costs a couple million."

"Kidnapping (and he?d checked the dictionary) usually involved a demand for ransom?cash to be paid for the release of the person seized. The Finnemores couldn?t pay their monthly bills?how were they supposed to find serious cash to free April? And there was no word yet from the kidnapper. Usually, as Theo remembered from television, the family gets word pretty soon that the bad guys have the child and would like a million bucks or so for a safe return. Another report from the morning news showed Mrs. Finnemore crying in front of their home. The police were tight-lipped, saying only that they were pursuing all leads. A neighbor said his dog started barking around midnight, always a bad sign. As frantic as the reporters seemed to be that morning, the truth was that they were finding very little to add to the story of a missing girl. Theo?s homeroom teacher was Mr. Mount, who also taught Government. After Mr. Mount got the boys settled, he called the roll. All sixteen were present. The conversation quickly got around to the disappearance of April, and Mr. Mount asked"

"Leeper, a ten-time loser. Distant cousin to May Finnemore, even more distant to April. He grew up around here, drifted away a long time ago, became a career thug, petty thief, drug dealer, and so on. Got busted in California for kidnapping ten years ago, sentenced to life with no parole. Escaped two weeks ago. This afternoon we get a tip that he might be in this area. Theo looked at the sinister face of Jack Leeper and felt ill. If this thug had April, then she was in serious trouble. Bolick continued, Last night around seven thirty, Leeper here walks into the Korean Quick Shop four blocks away, buys cigarettes and beer, gets his face captured on the surveillance cameras. Not the smartest crook in the world. So, we know he?s definitely in the area. Why would he take April? Theo blurted, his mouth dry with fear, his knees ready to buckle. According to authorities in California, they found some letters from April in his prison cell. She was his pen pal, probably felt sorry for the guy ?cause he?s never supposed to get out of prison. So she strikes up a correspondence. We?ve"

"Live your life the way you want. You'll figure it out."

"Life in the free world is somehow supposed to improve? These are the real casualties of our wars. The war on drugs. The war on crime. Unintended victims of tough laws passed by tough politicians over the past forty years. One million young black men now warehoused in decaying prisons, idling away the days at taxpayer expense."

"Life is short? Live to the fullest."

"May Finnemore was overcome with tears and made a big show out of crying. Bolick and the detective quizzed Theo about April?s other friends, any potential problems she was having, how she was doing in school, and so on. Theo gave straight answers, with no wasted words. A female officer in uniform had entered the den from upstairs, and she sat with Mrs. Finnemore, who was again distraught and overcome. Sergeant Bolick nodded at the Boones and motioned for them to follow him into the kitchen. They did, and the detective joined them. Bolick glared at Theo and in a low voice said, Did the girl ever mention a relative in prison in California? No, sir, Theo said. Are you sure? Sure I?m sure. What?s this all about? Mrs. Boone jumped in. She was not about to stand by silently while her son was rudely interrogated. Mr. Boone was ready to pounce, too. The detective pulled out an 8 x 10 black-and-white photo, a mug shot of a shady-looking character who gave every indication of being"

"Lucien was sitting on his front porch, drinking."

"Michael Harvey should be read by all."

"Mine was the only white face in the crowded restaurant, but I was coming to terms with my whiteness. No one had tried to murder me yet. No one seemed to care."

"Maybe. A lot of players have been hit in the head, but few got hurt. Ray Chapman was killed by a pitch in 1920. Mickey Cochrane never played again after taking one in the head. Tony Conigliaro was a certain Hall of Famer, then he got beaned in the eye. I hit him once, did you know that? Tony C.? Yep. In 1965, I was pitching for Cleveland. Tony crowded the plate, and he was fearless. I drilled him in the shoulder and never felt bad about it. Sometimes you gotta hit a guy, Joe, you know that. But you don?t try to hurt someone; it?s never part of the game to throw at a guy?s head. He?s got a family, a career. That was my mistake."

"Miranda v. Arizona, the most famous of all self-incrimination cases, the Supreme Court imposed procedural safeguards to protect the rights of the accused. A suspect has a constitutional right not to be compelled to talk, and any statement made during an interrogation cannot be used in court unless the police and the prosecutor can prove that the suspect clearly understood that (1) he had the right to remain silent, (2) anything said could be used against him in court, and (3) he had a right to an attorney, whether or not he could afford one. If, during an interrogation, the accused requests an attorney, then the questioning stops immediately."

"More than 100 people have been sent to death row who were later exonerated because they weren't guilty or fairly tried. Most criminal defendants do not get adequate representation because there are not enough public defenders to represent them. There is a lot that is wrong."

"My mum was never too keen on TV, so we kids all went to the library and got books out. Right from the start, I loved the works of Mark Twain. Every time I read about Tom Sawyer, I'd go out and do something low-level naughty, just like him."

"My decision to become a lawyer was irrevocably sealed when I realized my father hated the legal profession."

"My name became a brand, and I'd love to say that was the plan from the start. But the only plan was to keep writing books. And I've stuck to that ever since."

"Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so very carefully & slowly so that even you will understand it. If I was the sheriff, I would not have arrested him. If I was on the grand jury, I would not have indicted him. If I was the judge, I would not try him. If I was the D.A., I would not prosecute him. If I was on the trial jury, I would vote to give him a key to the city, a plaque to hang on his wall, & I would send him home to his family. And, Mr. Buckley, if my daughter is ever raped, I hope I have the guts to do what he did."

"Next door is Partner, a hulking, heavily armed guy who wears black suits and takes me everywhere. Partner is my driver, bodyguard, confidant, paralegal, caddie, and only friend. I earned his loyalty when a jury found him not guilty of killing an undercover narcotics officer. We walked out of the courtroom arm in arm and have been inseparable ever since. On at least two occasions, off-duty cops have tried to kill him. On one occasion, they came after me. We?re still standing. Or perhaps I should say we?re still ducking."

"Nobody wants to read about the honest lawyer down the street who does real estate loans and wills. If you want to sell books, you have to write about the interesting lawyers - the guys who steal all the money and take off. That's the fun stuff."

"O. J. Simpson theory of legal fees: I?m not paying you; you?re lucky to be here; go make a buck with your book."

"No way, Nate. I can?t stop them. Maybe I can embarrass them from time to time, cost the City some money, but what they?re doing here is happening everywhere. We live in a police state and everybody supports the cops. So you?re the last line of defense? Yep. God help us. Indeed. Thanks for the scoop. I?ll be in touch. Don?t mention it."

"Not long after the arrests of Ward and Fontenot, their story came to the attention of a respected New York journalist, Robert Mayer, then living in the Southwest."

"Nothing. I?ve listened to the radio all day, no word, no sign of anything. How was school? Terrible. All we did was talk about April. That poor girl. Elsa was inspecting his shirt, then her eyes moved down to his pants and for a split second Theo froze. Every day she looked him over quickly and never hesitated to say something like Does that shirt really match those pants? or Didn?t you wear that shirt two days ago? This irritated Theo tremendously and he had complained to both parents, but nothing came of his protests. Elsa was like a member of the family, a second mother to Theo, and if she wanted to quiz him about anything, she did so out of affection. The rumor was that Elsa spent all her money on clothes, and she certainly gave that appearance. Apparently, she approved of his attire today. Before she had the chance to comment, Theo kept the conversation going with, Is my mother in? Yes, but she has a client. Mr. Boone is working. This was usually the case. Theo?s mother, when she wasn?t in court, spent most of her time with clients, almost all of whom were women who (1)"

"One is wearing a uniform of green-and-gray camouflage, as if he were hunting deer in the woods. The other is wearing a uniform of brown-and-beige camouflage, as if he were hunting insurgents in the desert. These two clowns are standing in the driveway of a suburban home, about fifteen minutes from downtown, in a well-developed city of a million people, and they?re wearing camouflage. The sad and scary thing about this image is that these guys have no idea how stupid they look. Instead, they?re proud, arrogant. They?re on display, tough guys fighting bad guys. One of their brethren has been hit, wounded, fallen in the line of duty, and they?re pissed about it. They scowl at the neighbors across the street. One wrong word, and they might start shooting. Their fingers are on the triggers."

"On the other hand, the proponents of the will are represented."

"Once again, I was reminded that Tally was the prettiest girl I'd ever met, and when she smiled at me my mind went blank. Once you've seen a pretty girl naked, you feel a certain attachment to her."

"One million young black men now warehoused in decaying prisons, idling away the days at taxpayer expense. Our prisons are packed. Our streets"

"One thing you really have to watch as a writer is getting on a soapbox or pulpit about anything. You don't want to alienate readers."