'Oh, judge, your damn laws: the good people don't need them and the bad people don't follow them, so what good are they?'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Laws are useless because good people do not need them and bad people do not follow them.
- In plain terms
- Laws are ineffective since good people ignore them and bad people break them.
- What can you take from it?
- Question the utility of laws if they do not affect behavior meaningfully.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do laws actually change behavior?
- Who needs laws?
Another view
Laws often serve to define standards even if enforcement is imperfect.
More from Ammon Hennessey
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