# Need Help with a Quote - Civil Rights and Unpleasant People

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-a-quote-civil-rights-and-unpleasant-people/712025>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 7, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-a-quote-civil-rights-and-unpleasant-people/712025 "2015-02-07T03:10:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-a-quote-civil-rights-and-unpleasant-people/712025/1 "2015-02-07T03:10:11Z")

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Hi, all. I’m looking for a quote I heard a while back - possibly even on this board. The gist of it was that the greatest advances in civil rights came to be through the defense of thoroughly unpleasant people. Does this ring any bells? My Google-Fu, usually a source of pride, is not coming through for me tonight.

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Lazy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc29f/32.png) [@Lazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazy)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-a-quote-civil-rights-and-unpleasant-people/712025/2 "2015-02-07T03:28:09Z")

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It is probably not what you are looking for, but a quote often misattributed to Voltaire goes something like, “I detest what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-a-quote-civil-rights-and-unpleasant-people/712025/3 "2015-02-07T07:46:15Z")

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Here’s a relevant article I just found, by googling civil rights defense of jerks –  
I only quickly skimmed it, but perhaps it has something of interest for OP.

[Defending The Constitution, And The Right To Be A Jerk](http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2011/04/25/defending-the-constitution-and-the-right-to-be-a-jerk/), Doug Bandow, Forbes, April 25, 2011. Discussion focuses primarily on Terry Jones, _Jerk Extraordinaire_ of Qu’ran-burning fame.

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**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2015, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-a-quote-civil-rights-and-unpleasant-people/712025/4 "2015-02-07T11:10:45Z")

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Thanks for the mental energy on this. I could have sworn I bookmarked this or something. I think it’s part of a SCOTUS ruling, or a side comment from one of the justices.