John Ruskin Quotes

Nothing is so faulty as those laws which correct faults. He who obeys them because they are just obeys a justice which is imaginary and not the essence of law; it is quite self-contained, it is law and nothing more.

A fixed rule may give rise to occasional deviations from justice; but these amount to nothing more than the price which every member of the community may be called upon to pay for the advantage of an enlightened code. No laws can be framed sufficiently comprehensive to embrace the infinite varieties of human action …

My goal for reform is not necessarily to pass laws but to make sure the laws are being followed.

The law, in our case, seems to make the right; and the very reverse ought to be done - the right should make the law.

Law is order, and good law is good order.

Laws are to govern all alike—those opposed as well as those who favor them.

Justice is incidental to law and order

Law hath dominion over all things, over universal mind and matter ;, For there are reciprocities of rights, which no creature can gainsay.

In reality there are two, and only two, foundations of law; and they are both of them conditions without which nothing can give it any force: I mean equity and utility.

I know no human being exempt from the law. The law is the security of the people of England; it is the security of every person that is governed, and of every person that governs.

To govern the state by law is to praise the right and blame the wrong.

Reason is the life of the law; nay, the common law itself is nothing else but reason....

We must never lose sight of the fact that the law has a moral foundation, and we must never fail to ask ourselves not only what the law is, but what the law should be.

There is but one law for all, namely that law which governs all law, the law of our Creator, the law of humanity, justice, equity - the law of nature and of nations.

Justice is the insurance which we have on our lives and property. Obedience is the premium which we pay for it.

But they who give straight judgements to strangers and to those of the land and do not transgress what is just, for them the city flourishes and its people prosper.

The law is simply expediency wearing a long white dress.

We will sell to no man, we will not deny or defer to any man either justice or right.

Let us consider the reason of the case. For nothing is law that is not reason.

Good government is an empire of laws.

Law is that which commands what is right and prohibits what is wrong.

Anyone who takes it upon himself ... to break a bad law, thereby authorizes everyone else to break the good ones.

Be you never so high the law is above you.

All kings that are not tyrants, or perjured, will be glad to bound themselves within the limits of their laws.

The law should be no respecter of persons but should treat all alike, save where dissimilarity of treatment is required by positive reasons, either of justice or of policy.