"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
— John Adams
Facts Are Stubborn Things And Whatever
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
About this quote
Adams delivered this line in his closing argument defending the British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre trials of December 1770 — one of the most politically courageous acts of his legal career. He took the case despite public outrage, arguing that even deeply unpopular defendants deserved rigorous representation and that facts, not passion, must govern justice. Six of the eight soldiers were acquitted; Adams later called the defense "one of the best pieces of service I ever rendered my country."
Source
Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials, December 1770
