Who said “Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our father's have done…”?

Verified

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.. A published source records them saying or writing it.

Source"The Path of the Law," Address to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts at the dedication of the new hall of the Boston University School of Law (8 January 1897), published in Harvard Law Review, Vol. 10 (25 March 1897).

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our father's have done them or our neighbors do them, and the same is true of a large part than what we suspect of what we think.”
— Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
Verified"The Path of the Law," Address to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts at the dedication of the new hall of the Boston University School of Law (8 January 1897), published in Harvard Law Review, Vol. 10 (25 March 1897). · evidenceExpectation
Report

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: "The Path of the Law," Address to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts at the dedication of the new hall of the Boston University School of Law (8 January 1897), published in Harvard Law Review, Vol. 10 (25 March 1897)..

APA

Holmes, O. W. J. (n.d.). Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our father's have done them or our neighbors do them, and the same is true of a large part than what we suspect of what we think. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6871-most-of-the-things-we-do-we-do/

MLA

Holmes, Oliver Wendell Jr. “Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our father's have done them or our neighbors do them, and the same is true of a large part than what we suspect of what we think.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6871-most-of-the-things-we-do-we-do/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Holmes, Oliver Wendell Jr. “Most of the things we do, we do for no better reason than that our father's have done them or our neighbors do them, and the same is true of a large part than what we suspect of what we think.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/6871-most-of-the-things-we-do-we-do/.

Related quotes

More quotes by Holmes

“I have no respect for the passion of equality, which seems to me merely idealizing envy.”
VerifiedHolmes-Laski Letters : The Correspondence of Mr. Justice Holmes and Harold J. Laski, 1916 - 1935 (1953), Vol. 2, p. 942. · evidenceDetails & citePassion
Report
“We should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe.”
VerifiedAbrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616 (1919) · evidenceDetails & citeOpinions
Report
“Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is worth living is whether you have had enough of it.”
VerifiedSpeech to the Bar Association of Boston, in Speeches (1913), p. 86. · evidenceDetails & citeLife and Living
Report
“With all humility, I think, ''Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.'' Infinitely more important than the vain attempt to love one's neighbor as one's self. If you want to hit a bird on the wing, you must have all your will in focus, you must not be thinking about yourself, and equally, you must not be thinking about your neighbor: you must be living in your eye on that bird. Every achievement is a bird on the wing.”
VerifiedSpeech to the Bar Association of Boston, in Speeches (1913), p. 85. · evidenceDetails & citeHumility
Report
All 16 Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. quotes →