Page 165-166.
“
I was much troubled in spirit, in my first years upon the bench, to find how trackless was the ocean on which I had embarked. I sought for certainty. I was oppressed and disheartened when I found that the quest for it was futile. I was trying to reach land, the solid land of fixed and settled rules, the paradise of a justice that would declare itself by tokens plainer and more commanding than its pale and glimmering reflections in my own vacillating mind and conscience.
— Benjamin N. Cardozo
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I was much troubled in spirit, in my first years upon the bench, to find how trackless was the ocean on which I had embarked. I sought for certainty. I was oppressed and disheartened when I found that the quest for it was futile. I was trying to reach land, the solid land of fixed and settled rules, the paradise of a justice that would declare itself by tokens plainer and more commanding than its pale and glimmering reflections in my own vacillating mind and conscience." in the context of "Page 165-166." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Benjamin N. Cardozo" (Quotes, Other writings, The Nature of the Judicial Process (1921))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Benjamin N. Cardozo
Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (24 May 1870 – 9 July 1938) was a long-time Justice of the Court of Appeals of New York, where his opinions included many declarations that would become famous in legal circles; he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1932.
About Benjamin N. Cardozo
Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (24 May 1870 – 9 July 1938) was a long-time Justice of the Court of Appeals of New York, where his opinions included many declarations that would become famous in legal circles; he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1932.
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