Who said “The words of the Constitution are so unrestricted by their intrinsic meaning or by their…”?

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Felix Frankfurter. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceThe Supreme Court, vol. 3, no. 1, Parliamentary Affairs (London, Winter 1949).

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“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.”
— Felix Frankfurter
VerifiedThe Supreme Court, vol. 3, no. 1, Parliamentary Affairs (London, Winter 1949). · evidenceConstitutions
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: The Supreme Court, vol. 3, no. 1, Parliamentary Affairs (London, Winter 1949)..

APA

Frankfurter, F. (n.d.). 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. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/11262-the-words-of-the-constitution-are-so-unrestricted/

MLA

Frankfurter, Felix. “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.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/11262-the-words-of-the-constitution-are-so-unrestricted/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Frankfurter, Felix. “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.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/11262-the-words-of-the-constitution-are-so-unrestricted/.

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