Intellectual honesty and obvious sincerity carry more conviction than was ever accomplished by mere utterance. The advocate can make no greater mistake than to ignore or attempt to conceal the weak points in his case. The most effective strategy is at an early stage of the argument to invite attention to your weakest point before the court has discovered it, then to meet it with the best answers at your disposal, to deal with all the remaining points with equal candor, and to end with as powerful a presentation of your strongest point as you are capable of making.

George W. Pepper (1867-1961) American lawyer, law professor, politician

Letter to Eugene Gerhart (1951-12-10)
    (Source)

Quoted in Gerhart, America's Advocate: Robert H. Jackson, ch. 24 (1958).