Laws are sand, customs are rock. Laws can be evaded and punishment escaped, but an openly transgressed custom brings sure punishment.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Formal laws are easily avoided but social customs carry heavier consequences. Unwritten rules often control behavior more than written ones.
- In plain terms
- Customs punish worse than laws do.
- What can you take from it?
- Social norms often have stronger consequences than laws.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What unwritten rules govern your workplace?
- When do customs matter more than laws?
Another view
Not all customs are positive or worth obeying blindly.
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