A DOSE OF LEGAL QUOTES

It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the fault of others and to forget his own. (Phil. Savings
Bank vs. Chowking Food Corp.,G.R. No. 177526, July 4, 2008)

The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.(People of the Phil. vs. Romy L.
Fallones, G.R. No. 190341, March 16,  

2011)

One's wealth is not measured solely by his occupation. Being a mere supervisor of a motor shop
does not prove that such employee does not own any vehicle for sale. (Gregorio Amante, et al. vs.
BibianoSerwelas, G.R. No. 143572, September 30, 2005)

A man's reputation is the estimate in which others hold him, not the good opinion which he has of
himself. (Phil. Journalists, Inc., et al.vs. Francis Thoenen, G.R. No. 143372, December 13, 2005)

Every man has a right to build, keep and be favored with a good name. This right is protected by law
with the recognition of slander and libel as actionable wrongs, whether as criminal offenses or
tortious conduct. (RobertoBrillante vs. Court of Appeals, GR 118757 & 121571, October 19, 2004)

A suicide attempt is a form of "escapism" equivalent to flight, which is an indication of guilt. (People

of the Phil. vs.G.R. No. 148710, January 15, 2004)

 “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?” So goes an early admonition against immorality from the Holy
Book that is as valuable today as it was thousands of years ago. In the judiciary, “moral integrity is
more than a virtue; it is a necessity”. A court employee who has fallen short of the exacting
standards of morality and decency has to face the consequences, even after the embers have died
and the scars have faded. (Evelina C. Banaag v. Olivia C. Espeleta,A.M. No. P-11-3011, December 16,
2011)

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or
Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all
the hosts of Heaven and Earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job
well. — Martin Luther King, Jr.(People of the Phil. vs. Evangeline S.Siton, et al., G.R. No. 169364,
September 18, 2009)
"If the two eventually fell in love, despite the disparity in their ages and academic levels, this only
lends substance to the truism that the heart has reasons of its own which reason does not know."

-CHUA-QUA vs. CLAVE, G.R. No. 49549 August 30, 1990

This is blog admin's all-time favorite quote :)

"Social justice is neither communism, nor despotism, nor atomism, nor anarchy, but the
humanization of laws and the equalization of social and economic forces by the State so that justice
in its rational and objectively secular conception may at least be approximated. Social justice means
the promotion of the welfare of all the people, the adoption by the Government of measures
calculated to ensure economic stability of all the component elements of society, through the
maintenance of a proper economic and social equilibrium in the interrelations of the members of
the community, constitutionally, through the adoption of measures legally justifiable, or extra-
constitutionally, through the exercise of powers underlying the existence of all governments on the
time-honored principle of salus populi est supremo lex."

-CALALANG vs. WILLIAMS, G.R. No. 47800. December 2, 1940

The Court feels that it is not enough to simply invoke the right to quality education as a guarantee of
the Constitution: one must show that he is entitled to it because of his preparation and promise.

-DepEd vs. SAN DIEGO, G.R. No. 89572 December 21, 1989

Retirement laws should be interpreted liberally in favor of the retiree because their intention is to
provide for his sustenance, and hopefully even comfort, when he no longer has the stamina to
continue earning his livelihood. After devoting the best years of his life to the public service, he
deserves the appreciation of a grateful government as best concretely expressed in a generous
retirement gratuity commensurate with the value and length of his services. That generosity is the
least he should expect now that his work is done and his youth is gone. Even as he feels the
weariness in his bones and glimpses the approach of the lengthening shadows, he should be able to
luxuriate in the thought that he did his task well, and was rewarded for it.
-Santiago v. COA, G.R. No. 92284, July 12, 1991;

cited in Bengzon v. Drilon, G.R. No. 103524 April 15, 1992

Statistics never lie, but lovers often do, quipped a sage. This sad truth has unsettled many a love
transformed into matrimony. Any sort of deception between spouses, no matter the gravity, is
always disquieting.

-Antonio v. Reyes, G.R. No. 155800, March 10, 2006

Marital union is a two-way process. An expressive interest in each other's feelings at a time it is
needed by the other can go a long way in deepening the marital relationship. Marriage is definitely
not for children but for two consenting adults who view the relationship with love amor gignit
amorem, respect, sacrifice and a continuing commitment to compromise, conscious of its value as a
sublime social institution.

-Chi Ming Tsoi v. Court of Appeals and Gina Lao- Tsoi,

GR No. 119190, January 16, 1997

Love happens to everyone. It is dubbed to be boundless as it goes beyond the expectations people
tagged with it. In love, “age does matter.” People love in order to be secure that one will share
his/her life with another and that he/she will not die alone. Individuals who are in love had the
power to let love grow or let love die – it is a choice one had to face when love is not the love he/she
expected.

-Padilla-Rumbaua v. Rumbaua, G.R. No. 166738, August 14, 2009

We cannot castigate a man for seeking out the partner of his dreams, for marriage is a sacred and
perpetual bond which should be entered into because of love, not for any other reason.

-Figueroa v. Barranco, Jr., SBC Case No. 519, July 31, 1997
The nuptial vows which solemnly intone the matrimonial promise of love ‘(f)or better or for worse,
for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part,’ are sometimes easier said
than done, for many a marital union figuratively ends on the reefs of matrimonial shoals. In the case
now before us for appellate review, the marriage literally ended under circumstances which the
criminal law, disdainful of romanticism, bluntly calls the felony of parricide.

-People of the Philippines vs. Ruben Takbobo, GR No. 102984, 30 June 1993

The Court, like all well-meaning persons, has no desire to dash romantic fancies, yet in the exercise
of its duty, is all too willing when necessary to raise the wall that tears Pyramus and Thisbe asunder.

-Concerned Employee vs. Glenda Espiritu Mayor, AM No. P-02-1564, 23 November 2004

In our criminal justice system, what is important is, not whether the court entertains doubts about
the innocence of the accused since an open mind is willing to explore all possibilities, but whether it
entertains a reasonable, lingering doubt as to his guilt. For, it would be a serious mistake to send an
innocent man to jail where such kind of doubt hangs on to one’s inner being, like a piece of meat
lodged immovable between teeth.

-Lejano vs. People/People vs. Webb, G.R. No. 176389/G.R. No. 176864, Dec. 14, 2010

The relation at the bar to the courts is a peculiar and intimate relationship. The bar is an attache of
the courts. The quality of justice dispensed by the courts depends in no small degree upon the
integrity of its bar. An unfaithful bar may easily bring scandal and reproach to the administration of
justice and bring the courts themselves into disrepute.

- cited in In Re: ALBINO CUNANAN, ET AL., March 18, 1954

The days of the secret laws and the unpublished decrees are over. This is once again an open society,
with all the acts of the government subject to public scrutiny and available always to public
cognizance. This has to be so if our country is to remain democratic, with sovereignty residing in the
people and all government authority emanating from them.

-TAÑADA vs TUVERA, G.R. No. L-63915 December 29, 1986

Certainly, the rule of stare decisis is entitled to respect because stability in jurisprudence is desirable.
Nonetheless, reverence for precedent, simply as precedent, cannot prevail when constitutionalism
and the public interest demand otherwise. Thus, a doctrine which should be abandoned or modified
should be abandoned or modified accordingly. After all, more important than anything else is that
this Court should be right.

-Olaguer vs Military Commission, G.R. No. L-54558 May 22, 1987

Hence, a judge's official conduct and his behavior in the performance of judicial duties should be free
from the appearance of impropriety and must be beyond reproach. One who occupies an exalted
position in the administration of justice must pay a high price for the honor bestowed upon him, for
his private as well as his official conduct must at all times be free from the appearance of
impropriety. Because appearance is as important as reality in the performance of judicial functions,
like Caesar's wife, a judge must not only be pure but also beyond suspicion. A judge has the duty to
not only render a just and impartial decision, but also render it in such a manner as to be free from
any suspicion as to its fairness and impartiality, and also as to the judge's integrity. "It is obvious,
therefore, that while judges should possess proficiency in law in order that they can competently
construe and enforce the law, it is more important that they should act and behave in such a manner
that the parties before them should have confidence in their impartiality."

-Joaquin vs. Javellana [A.M. No. RTJ-00-1601. November 13, 2001]

We take this opportunity to reaffirm our concern for the lowly worker who, often at the mercy of his
employers, must look up to the law for his protection. Fittingly, that law regards him with tenderness
and even favor and always with faith and hope in his capacity to help in shaping the nation's future.
It is error to take him for granted. He deserves our abiding respect. How society treats him will
determine whether the knife in his hands shall be a caring tool for beauty and progress or an angry
weapon of defiance and revenge. The choice is obvious, of course. If we cherish him as we should,
we must resolve to lighten "the weight of centuries" of exploitation and disdain that bends his back
but does not bow his head.

-Cebu Royal Plant vs. The Honorable Deputy Minister of Labor, G.R. No. L-58639, August 12, 1987
* We cannot castigate a man for seeking out the partner of his dreams, for marriage is a sacred and
perpetual bond which should be entered into because of love, not for any other reason.” (Patricia
Figueroa vs. Simeon Barranco, Jr., GR No. 97369, 31 July 1997)

* One of the ironic verities of life, it has been said, is that sorrow is sometimes a touchstone of love.
(Libi v. Intermediate Appellate Court, G.R. No. 70890, 18 September 1992)

* Marital union is a two-way process. An expressive interest in each other’s feelings at a time it is
needed by the other can go a long way in deepening the marital relationship. Marriage is definitely
not for children but for two consenting adults who view the relationship with love amor gignit
amorem, respect, sacrifice and a continuing commitment to compromise, conscious of its value as a
sublime social institution.” (Chi Ming Tsoi vs. Court of Appeals and Gina Lao- Tsoi, GR No. 119190, 16
January 1997)

* Love is useless unless it is shared with another. Indeed, no man is an island, the cruelest act of a
partner in marriage is to say “I could not have cared less.” This is so because an ungiven self is an
unfulfilled self. The egoist has nothing but himself. In the natural order, it is sexual intimacy which
brings spouses wholeness and oneness. Sexual intimacy is a gift and a participation in the mystery of
creation. It is a function which enlivens the hope of procreation and ensures the continuation of
family relations. x x x. (Chi Ming Tsoi vs. Court of Appeals and Gina Lao- Tsoi, GR No. 119190, 16
January 1997)

* The nuptial vows which solemnly intone the matrimonial promise of love ‘(f)or better or for worse,
for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part,’ are sometimes easier said
than done, for many a marital union figuratively ends on the reefs of matrimonial shoals. In the case
now before us for appellate review, the marriage literally ended under circumstances which the
criminal law, disdainful of romanticism, bluntly calls the felony of parricide. (People of the Philippines
vs. Ruben Takbobo, GR No. 102984, 30 June 1993)

* The Court, like all well-meaning persons, has no desire to dash romantic fancies, yet in the exercise
of its duty, is all too willing when necessary to raise the wall that tears Pyramus and Thisbe asunder.
(Concerned Employee vs. Glenda Espiritu Mayor, AM No. P-02-1564, 23 November 2004)

* Statistics never lie, but lovers often do, quipped a sage. This sad truth has unsettled many a love
transformed into matrimony. Any sort of deception between spouses, no matter the gravity, is always
disquieting.(Antonio v. Reyes, G.R. No. 155800, March 10, 2006)

* Love happens to everyone. It is dubbed to be boundless as it goes beyond the expectations people
tagged with it. In love, “age does matter.” People love in order to be secure that one will share
his/her life with another and that he/she will not die alone. Individuals who are in love had the power
to let love grow or let love die – it is a choice one had to face when love is not the love he/she
expected. (Padilla-Rumbaua v. Rumbaua, G.R. No. 166738, August 14, 2009)

* The universal puff about love being free, doubtless a stale statement, remains a useful piece of
legal advice yet for the roaming lothario, to stress that money in all its forms, the dowry included, is
not the legitimate consideration for passion and affection which ordinarily spring from courtship and
requited love, nor does it endow a license to subject the object of his affection to lewd desires.
(People of the Philippines vs. Lito Egan alias Akiao, G.R. No. 139338. May 28, 2002]

* If the two (persons) eventually fell in love, despite the disparity in their ages and academic levels,
this only lends substance to the truism that the heart has reasons of its own which reason does not
know. But, definitely, yielding to this gentle and universal emotion is not to be so casually equated
with immorality. The deviation of the circumstances of their marriage from the usual societal pattern
cannot be considered as a defiance of contemporary social mores (Chua-Qua vs. Clave, G.R. No. L-
49549, 30 August 1990)

* Love happens to everyone. It is dubbed to be boundless as it goes beyond the expectations people
tagged with it. In love, “age does matter.” People love in order to be secure that one will share
his/her life with another and that he/she will not die alone. Individuals who are in love had the power
to let love grow or let love die – it is a choice one had to face when love is not the love he/she
expected. (Dr. Tayag as quoted in Padilla-Rumbaua v. Rumbaua, G.R. No. 166738)

* …There can be no love where respect is gone. (People vs. Rivera November 17, 1999)

* Love is not a license for lust. (People v. Bautista, G.R. No. 140278, June 3, 2004)

* She unconditionally laid herself prostrate to his charms, too much enamored of him to care about
anything else. For, as philosopher Blaise Pascal has so pithily stated of the profundity of human love,
‘love has reasons that reason cannot explain. (Abaigar vs. Paz – September 10, 1979)

"A bar candidate

does not acquire 
the right to practice law
simply by passing
the bar examinations."
Aguirre vs Rana
BM No 1036 (2003)