Manu Quotes

A Brahmana who knows the law need not bring any offence to the notice of the king; by his own power alone be can punish those men who injure him.

Men who commit adultery with the wives of others, the king shall cause to be marked by punishments which cause terror, and afterwards banish.

The conquering army burnt villages, devastated the land, plundered people’s wealth, took Brahmins and children and women of all classes captive, flogged with thongs of raw hide, carried a moving prison with it, and converted the prisoners into obsequious slaves.

I've seen looting around the world and thought I knew the best looters in the world. The Iraqis excel at that.

I think if we wish to live in any kind of a moral universe, we must hold the perpetrators of violence responsible for the violence they perpetrate. It's very simple. The criminal is responsible for the crime.

Jesus said that we should render to the state what properly belongs to the state, and though he had taxes in mind, we might reasonably infer that giving the state the job of punishing wrongdoers is one way of giving the state its due.

The role of the church and the government are fundamentally different. The church must always show compassion - always.

Sectarianism, bigotry, and it's horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful Earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.

The stores are already empty, as they were looted immediately…This was the first stage. As soon as it ended the second stage began: the looting of apartments…At first they used to come on the pretext of “searching for arms”…As time passed, there was no longer a need for formal pretext; they simply come and take not only gold, silver, jewelry, and precious stones, but also pillows and blankets, and often linens, clothing, furs, and even furniture ...

A Brahmana shall be compelled to pay a fine of one thousand panas if he has intercourse with … females of those two lower castes; for offending with a … Sudra female a fine of one thousand.

Never slay a Brahmana, though he have committed all possible crimes; let the king banish such an offender, leaving all his property with him and his body unhurt. No greater crime is known on earth than slaying a Brahmana; a king, therefore, must not even conceive in his mind the thought of killing a Brahmana

One may slay without hesitation an assassin who approaches with murderous intent…. By killing an assassin the slayer incurs no guilt, whether he does it publicly or secretly; in that case fury recoils upon fury

A once-born man (a Sudra), who insults a twice-born man with gross invective, shall have his tongue cut out; for he is of low origin. If he arrogantly teaches Brahmanas their duty, the king shall cause hot oil to be poured into his mouth and into his ears

What are kingdoms without justice but large bands of robbers?

We will that every man above 12 years make oath that he will neither be a thief nor cognizant of theft

You have seen for a long time the great disorder in the world caused by these crimes. It is so bad in some of your provinces, I am told, and you are so weak in the administration of justice, that one can hardly go along the road by day or night without being attacked by robbers; and whether at home or abroad one is in danger of being despoiled either by force or fraud.

There's always a little jump to your heart when you realize you've got looting.

The more laws and orders are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be.

Because morality is a social necessity, the moment faith in God is banished, man's gaze turns from god to man and he becomes socially conscious. Religious belief prevented the growth of a sense of realism. But atheism at once makes man realistic and alive to the needs of morality. Atheism alone is the surest way to morality.

No man ought to be condemned for exhorting people to pursue justice in a certain line, though he may foresee that in the pursuit of that justice the opposition given to those who are proceeding in a just course may produce collision, and that collision lead to the commission of crime; but our duty, as I conceive, is to seek for the injustice, and there to impute the crime… It is to that injustice, and not to those who pursue a just course for the attainment of a right end, that the guilt is to be ascribed.

There is no justice in the world unless we make it..

Laws can embody standards; governments can enforce laws—but the final task is not a task for government. It is a task for each and every one of us. Every time we turn our heads the other way when we see the law flouted—when we tolerate what we know to be wrong—when we close our eyes and ears to the corrupt because we are too busy, or too frightened—when we fail to speak up and speak out—we strike a blow against freedom and decency and justice.

When you see corruption, when you see injustice, you speak up. You don't just shut up and say it's none of my business.

No leader will fight for values, for principles, if their government is a value-free vacuum. Moral relativism is morally wrong.

Some emotions are essential to law and to public principles of justice: anger at wrongdoing, fear for our safety, compassion for the pain of others, all these are good reasons to make laws that protect people in their rights.