David Boies Quotes

Powerful David Boies for Daily Growth

About David Boies

David Boies, a renowned American lawyer, was born on June 30, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in a Jewish family with strong intellectual roots; his mother, Florence Katz Boies, was a teacher and his father, Max Boies, was a psychiatrist. The combination of education and psychoanalysis heavily influenced David's career and personality. Boies attended Cornell University for his undergraduate studies, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1967. He then went on to Harvard Law School, graduating in 1970. After law school, Boies began his career at the Department of Justice, working under the Nixon administration before moving to private practice. Throughout his legal career, David Boies has been involved in some of the most significant and high-profile cases of the past few decades. In 1988, he represented Al Gore in his divorce proceedings from Mary Jo Kopechne. Later, in a landmark case, he represented New York City in its lawsuit against the tobacco industry. However, Boies is perhaps best known for his work with John O. Nerud on the 'Antitrust Suits Against Microsoft Corporation.' This case, which began in 1998, challenged Microsoft's business practices and monopoly over the software industry. The case, often referred to as U.S. v. Microsoft, was a significant milestone in the history of antitrust law. Boies has also been involved in numerous other high-profile cases, including representing Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election recount and working on the legal team that successfully defended Harvey Weinstein against sexual harassment allegations. Today, David Boies continues to practice law at his firm, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, where he focuses on complex business litigation, antitrust matters, and intellectual property disputes. His life and work have been marked by a commitment to justice and a willingness to take on challenging cases that have far-reaching implications.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Truth is not determined by a show of force."

David Boies' statement underscores the importance of truth as an objective standard, rather than something subject to power or force. It implies that the validity of facts should be based on evidence and rational argument, rather than on who has the most influence or resources. This quote emphasizes the significance of fairness, integrity, and reason in our pursuit of knowledge and justice.

"There's no such thing as an impenetrable secret. There is always someone with curiosity and enough time to uncover it."

This quote by David Boies emphasizes that secrets, however well-guarded or complex, are not invincible. Given sufficient curiosity and persistence, information can be uncovered over time. It suggests that knowledge is an ongoing process of discovery, and no secret or mystery is truly beyond the reach of human inquisitiveness and determination.

"The right to privacy is the right to be left alone – the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by civilized men."

David Boies' quote highlights the significance and universal value of the right to privacy as a fundamental human freedom. This right encompasses the ability to live one's life without unwarranted intrusion or scrutiny, allowing individuals to maintain their autonomy, dignity, and personal integrity. In essence, the right to privacy is essential for fostering a society where people can comfortably express themselves, cultivate personal relationships, and engage in private activities without fear of public exposure. The quote emphasizes that this freedom holds great importance in civilized societies and serves as a cornerstone for individuals to live peacefully and with dignity.

"In any battle, the key to victory is knowing when to fight and when not to fight."

The quote suggests that effective strategy in any conflict or challenge involves making thoughtful decisions about when to engage (fight) and when to retreat or find alternative solutions (not to fight). This wisdom implies that while standing firm and resisting may be crucial at times, there are also instances where avoiding unnecessary battles or finding negotiated settlements can lead to more beneficial outcomes in the long run.

"Fear is often the enemy of justice."

The quote by David Boies suggests that fear can have a detrimental impact on the pursuit of justice, as it may cause individuals to act out of apprehension rather than upholding principles of fairness and impartiality. In situations where fear dominates, decision-making may be compromised, and true justice may not be achieved. The quote underscores the importance of courage and determination in standing against fear when advocating for justice and equality.

Embrace a diversity of ideas. Embrace the fact that you can disagree with people and not be disagreeable. Embrace the fact that you can find common ground - if you disagree on nine out of 10 things, but can find common ground on that 10th, maybe you can make progress. If you can find common ground, you can accomplish great things.

- David Boies

Fact, Embrace, Nine, Disagreeable

It's terribly important that we extend the promise of equality that the Supreme Court and that the district court articulated in the DOMA case and in the Perry case to all Americans in all 50 states.

- David Boies

All Americans, 50 States, Extend

The very purpose of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution is to protect minority rights against majority voters. Every court decision that strikes down discriminatory legislation, including past Supreme Court decisions, affirming the fundamental rights to marry the person you love, overrules a majority decision.

- David Boies

Love, Constitution, Very, Strikes

A trial is a powerful vehicle to explain things. It is the most time that anybody spends really thinking about one thing. Unless you are the analyst on the National Security staff that's assigned to monitor Putin, and that's all you do, day in and day out, very few people ever spend the time on a single subject that is spent during trial.

- David Boies

Explain, Anybody, Very, Putin

Napster's only alleged liability is for contributory or vicarious infringement. So when Napster's users engage in noncommercial sharing of music, is that activity copyright infringement? No.

- David Boies

Activity, Copyright, Alleged

While I agree completely that attracting good teachers is difficult, and we need to spend more time doing that - in part by paying them more money - I don't think there's any evidence for the idea that somehow tenure attracts good teachers. In fact, I think the evidence is to the contrary.

- David Boies

Doing, Fact, I Think, Attracts

We must bring the rule of law to its full fruition in the United States, and when we do, we will have achieved the goals and rhetoric of our Founding Fathers.

- David Boies

Law, United States, Fathers, Goals

When you think of Napster, you think of music. But the first thing that struck me was that this was an important case not only for the music industry but for the whole Internet.

- David Boies

Think, Industry, Whole, Struck

Here you have a new technology, and if that technology is going to work, you must allow people to provide central indexes of the data. It's just like a newspaper that publishes classified ads.

- David Boies

Newspaper, Here, Allow, New Technology

You never know when you lose a case whether it was because the facts were against you, or because the judges had already made up their minds, or if you could have done something differently.

- David Boies

Against, Made, Could, Judges

You wouldn't go to a hospital, you wouldn't go to a law firm where the doctors and lawyers were not retained on merit: where they all had tenure regardless of competence. Parents feel the same way about schools that they send their children to.

- David Boies

Lawyers, Feel, About, Law Firm

One of the things that the court held in Brown v. Board of Education is that government can't impose a badge of inferiority on some of its citizens. Yet that is exactly what Proposition 8 does with respect to gay and lesbian couples in California.

- David Boies

Education, Some, Held, Board

Unlike people of my generation, my children and my grandchildren have grown up living with, knowing, people who were outwardly gay and lesbian. And they have learned that they're just like us... And when you see that they're just like us, the rationale for discrimination melts away.

- David Boies

Children, See, Away, Lesbian

I made a penny for each paper delivered every day, plus 2 cents for Sunday papers. I had 120 customers. For a 10-year-old kid in the 1940s, that was a lot of money.

- David Boies

Every Day, Made, 1940s, Penny

It is easy to be accurate if you have the freedom to be complicated, and it is very easy to be simple if you have the freedom to shade the truth. What's hard is to be simple and very accurate, and that takes work to figure out what are the simple truths that are going to sustain your case.

- David Boies

Very, Figure, Accurate, Sustain

Once I take a case, I'm stuck with it.

- David Boies

Once, Case, Take, Stuck

The Audio Home Recording Act directly says that noncommercial copying by consumers is lawful.

- David Boies

Act, Lawful, Copying, Audio

Most people are balancing 10 or 20 priorities. I have two. My family and my work.

- David Boies

Work, Priorities, Most, Balancing

Obviously I'm a lawyer; I like to have cases.

- David Boies

Like, Cases, Obviously, Lawyer

We're now segregating our schools based on economics; we're segregating our schools based on where a child's parents live. And it has the same corrosive effect of destroying people's opportunity as racial segregation did.

- David Boies

Opportunity, Based, Our, Destroying

It is human nature to favor individuals and institutions who we know or for whom we feel responsible.

- David Boies

Nature, Favor, Institutions, Human Nature

In any profession, whether it's teachers or doctors or lawyers, the more we say we're not going to evaluate those people on the merits, I think that's when the profession goes into decline.

- David Boies

Think, I Think, Profession, Merits

We're lawyers. We present the arguments, and the court sorts out the merits.

- David Boies

Present, Lawyers, Court, Merits

But I'd say my best boss was Tom Barr, who was a partner at Cravath, Swain & Moore in the 1960s. It's because I learned so much from him.

- David Boies

Boss, Say, Learned, Moore

I don't really believe in moral victories. You can have them when you're dealing with public opinion, but in litigation, you want to win the case. I want to win.

- David Boies

Want, Dealing, Victories, Public Opinion

I win virtually every case I should win, and I win a number of cases that people think I shouldn't.

- David Boies

Think, Number, Cases, Virtually

It's a matter of priorities. Do you want to win, or would you like to sleep? Do you want to win, or would you like to take a day off?

- David Boies

Sleep, Take, Would, Priorities

I was a paper boy, beginning the summer between my fourth-grade and fifth-grade years.

- David Boies

Summer, Beginning, Boy, Paper

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