Melvin Belli

“There are some things a man can't ride around.”

“I'd rather have a lawsuit than a hole in the head.”

“The law isn't a playbook. It's a battleground.”

“There's no such thing as a trivial case. It's a person's life on the line.”

“The practice of law is the greatest blood sport of all.”

“If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts. If you have the law on your side, pound the law. If you have neither on your side, pound the table.”

“The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.”

“I never wanted to be a millionaire. I just wanted to live like one.”

“You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things–to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.”

“You win your case by the sincerity of your cause.”

“Credibility is the currency of the courtroom.”

“My theory is to be not merely passively fair to the defendant, but to be actively fair to him.”

“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”