JEREMY BENTHAM

Lawyers are the only persons in whom ignorance of the law is not punished.

All punishment is mischief; all punishment in itself is evil.

The said truth is that it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.

Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet.

No power of government ought to be employed in the endeavor to establish any system or article of belief on the subject of religion.

The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation.

Every law is an infraction of liberty.

The question is not, 'Can they reason?' nor, 'Can they talk?' but rather, 'Can they suffer?'

The principle of asceticism never was, nor ever can be, consistently pursued by any living creature. Let but one tenth part of the inhabitants of the earth pursue it consistently, and in a day's time they will have turned it into a Hell.

The power of the lawyer is in the uncertainty of the law.

It is vain to talk of the interest of the community, without understanding what is the interest of the individual.

Tyranny and anarchy are never far apart.

He who thinks and thinks for himself, will always have a claim to thanks; it is no matter whether it be right or wrong, so as it be explicit. If it is right, it will serve as a guide to direct; if wrong, as a beacon to warn.

Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do.

International Law

Representative democracy has for its characteristic object and effect…securing its members against oppression and depredation at the hands of those functionaries which it employs for its defense.

Liberty of public association; or the security with which malcontents may communicate their sentiments, concert their plans, and practice every mode of opposition short of actual revolt, before the executive power can be legally justified in disturbing them

All government is a trust. Every branch of government is a trust, and immemorially acknowledged to be so.

All men ... are born in subjection. In this subjection he continues for years ... and the existence of the individual and the species depends upon his so doing.

Among the several cloudy appellatives which have been commonly employed as cloaks for misgovernment, there is none more conspicuous in this atmosphere of illusion than the word Order.

Boards are screens. What “the Board” does is the act of nobody; and nobody can be made to answer for it.

Every law is an evil for every law is an infraction of liberty.

It is the greatest good to the greatest number which is the measure of right and wrong.

Publicity is the soul of justice. Without publicity, all other checks are insufficient: in comparison of publicity, all other checks are of small account.

so long as it promises to exclude some greater possible evils.