Few scenes from a movie have stayed with me like the final summation given by Paul Newman in the 1982 classic courtroom drama. At times, I feel like the world is spiraling around us, with the truth being complicated to find. His summation reminds me of some fundamental values I hold dear.

Judge Hoyle: Summation?

Galvin: “Well…You know, so much of the time we’re just lost. We say, “Please, God, tell us what is right. Tell us what is true.”

I mean there is no justice. The rich win; the poor are powerless. We become tired of hearing people lie. And after a time we become dead, a little dead. We think of ourselves as victims — and we become victims. We become weak; we doubt ourselves; we doubt our beliefs; we doubt our institutions; and we doubt the law.

But today you are the law. You are the law, not some book, not the lawyers, not a marble statue, or the trappings of the court. See, those are just symbols of our desire to be just. They are, in fact, a prayer. I mean, a fervent and a frightened prayer.

In my religion, they say, “Act as if you had faith; faith will be given to you.”

If we are to have faith in justice, we need only to believe in ourselves and act with justice. See, I believe there is justice in our hearts.” (The Verdict-1982)

The balance between justice and mercy is a delicate one. And though the world often disappoints us, we can be true to our hearts if we act in faith and follow the dictates of our conscience. Let us not doubt our beliefs and become weak, but let us stay strong while listening to the ‘still small voice’ that whispers to us all regarding justice, mercy, consequence, and love. We may not be able to control the verdict in the world’s courts, but we can stay true to the verdict of our hearts!