Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Laws should be based on real, earthly needs as a fundamental principle of national life.
In plain terms
Law must reflect practical needs of the people.
What can you take from it?
Ground legislation in actual societal requirements.

Where it applies

  • legislative drafting
  • public administration

Putting it to work

  • conduct needs assessments before lawmaking
  • ensure laws address everyday problems

Questions to consider

  • How to determine which needs are most urgent?
  • What safeguards prevent laws from being swayed by special interests?

Another view

What counts as 'actual needs' can be politically contested.

More from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

  1. There are two Mustafa Kemals. One the flesh-and-blood Mustafa Kemal who now stands before you and who will pass away. The other is you, all of you here who wil…

    Permalink to quote #16
  2. A nation devoid of art and artists cannot have a full existence.

    Permalink to quote #18
  3. Mankind is a single body and each nation a part of that body. We must never say 'What does it matter to me if some part of the world is ailing?' If there is su…

    Permalink to quote #15

Related quotes

  1. The problem of cat versus bird is as old as time. If we attempt to resolve it by legislation who knows but what we may be called upon to take sides as well in …

    Adlai StevensonAdlai Stevenson quote #1
  2. 'The internet has no government, no constitution, no laws, no rights, no police, no courts. Don't talk about fairness or innocence, and don't talk about what s…

    Paul VixiePaul Vixie quote #5
  3. Bad laws are the worst sort of tyranny.

    Edmund BurkeEdmund Burke quote #12