A theory deeply etched in our law [is that] a free society prefers to punish the few who abuse the rights of free speech after they break the law rather than to throttle them and all others beforehand.
![A theory deeply etched in our law [is that] a free society prefers to punish the few who abuse the rights of free speech after they break the law rather than to throttle them and all others beforehand.](http://cdn.quoteddaily.com/images/clarence-thomas/a-theory-deeply-etched-in-our-law-is-that-a-free-society-prefers-to-punish-the-few-who-abuse-the.jpg)
A theory deeply etched in our law [is that] a free society prefers to punish the few who abuse the rights of free speech after they break the law rather than to throttle them and all others beforehand.