Justice & Law Quote by Dick Van Patten

Van Patten pulls off a neat rhetorical two-step: he starts with geography, then pivots to morality. “I come from New York originally” is a little badge of toughness and credibility, the implied subtext being: I’m not some soft-focus California cliché. And yet, he concedes, “Californians have been wonderful about animals.” That contrast is the point. He’s laundering sentiment through a persona people recognize: the no-nonsense East Coaster who, despite himself, has been converted by what he’s seen.

The repetition - “so nice and so good and so sweet and intelligent” - reads like a gush, but it’s strategic. Actors understand that persuasion often rides on affect, not argument. He stacks simple adjectives until they feel undeniable, turning animals from background scenery into characters with inner lives. “Intelligent” is the hinge word: it’s the one that smuggles animals across the boundary we use to justify neglect.

Then comes the hard turn: “It’s a crime not to help them.” Not “sad,” not “unfortunate” - a crime. He’s not speaking in policy terms; he’s reframing rescue and advocacy as basic civic decency. That’s a celebrity move with real intent: translate a cause into a gut-level ethical norm, accessible to anyone, no jargon required.

Context matters: Van Patten wasn’t dabbling. He built a public identity around animal welfare (including founding an advocacy group), and this quote sounds like the on-ramp he offered mainstream America - warmth first, then a blunt moral deadline.