Daily Inspiration Quote by Christopher Darden

A lawyer saying lawyers will "consume each other" lands because it weaponizes a stereotype from inside the profession, turning it into a confession. Christopher Darden isn’t describing literal betrayal so much as a professional ecosystem where competition, ego, and optics can become the main event. The line reads like gallows humor: if there’s a choice between solidarity and self-preservation, the default setting is often self-preservation, dressed up as principle.

The verb "consume" is doing heavy work. It suggests not just disagreement but predation, a zero-sum hunger that can swallow reputations and relationships. "If at all possible" adds a bleak little shrug: this isn’t an exception caused by a bad week or a toxic office; it’s an instinct, almost a strategy. Darden’s phrasing implies a culture where the courtroom isn’t the only arena. Lawyers also litigate status, narrative control, and proximity to power - sometimes at the expense of colleagues who should be allies.

Context matters. Darden is best known for his role in the O.J. Simpson trial, a public spectacle where legal arguments competed with media narratives and internal team politics. In that environment, "consuming each other" isn’t metaphorical flourish; it’s a description of how institutions under pressure cannibalize from within. The quote’s intent is both warning and self-indictment: an acknowledgment that the profession’s celebrated tools - adversarial thinking, rhetorical aggression, relentless critique - don’t turn off when the opposing counsel leaves the room.