Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“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.”
- Date
- 1770
Meaning of “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be…”
Adams argues that judgment in a legal case should follow evidence even when emotion, public pressure or personal wishes point toward a preferred conclusion.
Where does it come from?
Closing defense argument in the Boston Massacre soldiers’ trial, December 1770, preserved by Founders Online. The line belongs to courtroom advocacy about evidence and due process in a specific criminal proceeding.