---
title: "Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; n… — John Acton Quote #2 | QuotesBy.net"
description: "Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity. — a quote by John Acton."
image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png"
---

> # Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.

[John Acton](https://quotesby.net/John-Acton)\#2[WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)](https://wa.me/?text=%E2%80%9CEvery%20thing%20secret%20degenerates%2C%20even%20the%20administration%20of%20justice%3B%20nothing%20is%20safe%20that%20does%20not%20show%20how%20it%20can%20bear%20discussion%20and%20publicity.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20John%20Acton%20https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJohn-Acton%2F2%2F)[X (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%9CEvery%20thing%20secret%20degenerates%2C%20even%20the%20administration%20of%20justice%3B%20nothing%20is%20safe%20that%20does%20not%20show%20how%20it%20can%20bear%20discussion%20and%20publicity.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20John%20Acton&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJohn-Acton%2F2%2F)[Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FJohn-Acton%2F2%2F)

## More from John Acton

1. > There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development of the contrary qual…

[Permalink to quote \#1](https://quotesby.net/John-Acton/1/ "Permalink to quote 1")
2. > Whenever a single definite object is made the supreme end of the State, be it the advantage of a class, the safety of the power of the country, the greatest ha…

[Permalink to quote \#3](https://quotesby.net/John-Acton/3/ "Permalink to quote 3")
3. > Without presuming to decide the purely legal question, on which it seems evident to me from Madison's and Hamilton's papers that the Fathers of the Constitutio…

[Permalink to quote \#4](https://quotesby.net/John-Acton/4/ "Permalink to quote 4")

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Quotation",
    "text": "Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.",
    "url": "https://quotesby.net/John-Acton/2/",
    "spokenByCharacter": {
        "@type": "Person",
        "name": "John Acton"
    }
}
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
    "itemListElement": [
        {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 1,
            "name": "Home",
            "item": "https://quotesby.net/"
        },
        {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 2,
            "name": "Authors",
            "item": "https://quotesby.net/authors/"
        },
        {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 3,
            "name": "John Acton",
            "item": "https://quotesby.net/John-Acton"
        },
        {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 4,
            "name": "Quote #2",
            "item": "https://quotesby.net/John-Acton/2/"
        }
    ]
}
```