Cardozo quote on UC Berkeley's Boalt Law School

Cardozo on Boalt - ©ingridtaylar

A photographic snippet of the Benjamin Cardozo quote on the external wall of Boalt Hall, School of Law at UC Berkeley. As I was double-sourcing this quote, I came upon a blog post written by a Boalt student, commenting on this wall decor:

Cardozo’s words, while inspiring, were not inspiring enough to inject any vigor into the pathetic, book reading blob I have become, but they were enough to remind me of something I’ve wondered before: ” ‘Emprise’? Is that a word, or something Cardozo just sort of made up? I wouldn’t put that past him . . . For those who have wondered, “emprise” is indeed a word. Or at least, it used to be . . .

The Cardozo quote in full is:

“You will study the wisdom of the past, for in a wilderness of conflicting counsels, a trail has there been blazed. You will study the life of mankind, for this is the life you must order, and, to order with wisdom, must know. You will study the precepts of justice, for these are the truths that through you shall come to their hour of triumph. Here is the high emprise, the fine endeavor, the splendid possibility of achievement, to which I summon you and bid you welcome.” ~ Cardozo

The Photo: Shot in April 2009 with my Panasonic FZ28 super-zoom. I applied an overlay effect in PS to bring out the text, since the image was a bit washed out from the sun . . . and I couldn’t get a perfect angle on the drop shadows from where I was standing on a quick walk-by.