Will of the Majority vs. Defense of the Minority

Abraham Lincoln said (paraphrased) "You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time." The Constitution was written, in large part, to defend the rights of the minority. But, granting that it is usually impossible to appease the desires of the entire population, and that to appease the Minority is practically always offensive to the Majority, to what extent should the will of the Majority influence the law, and to what extent should it be ignored for the sake of the Minority?