We cannot, by total reliance on law, escape the duty to…
“We cannot, by total reliance on law, escape the duty to judge right and wrong... There are good laws and there are occasionally bad laws, and it conforms to the highest traditions of a free society to offer resistance to bad laws, and to disobey them.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The passage argues that reliance on law does not replace moral judgment; citizens must resist and disobey unjust laws.
In simple terms: Legal obedience is insufficient without moral discernment.
Key Takeaway
Exercise moral judgment over legal compliance.
Themes
law
morality
civil disobedience
justice
citizen duty
Mood
ethical
defiant
reflective
Type
Bad laws:1
Civil disobedience:1
Conform:0
Disobedience:1
Drug:0
Duty:1
Free society:1
Highest:0
Judging:0
Law:1
Laws:1
Offers:0
Reliance:0
Resistance:1
Right and wrong:1
Tradition:0
Users:0
War:0
Good Laws:1
Laws Disobey:0
Laws Conforms:0
Laws Occasionally:0
When to use this quote
- voting
- protesting
- community organizing
Key Concepts
political activism
legal reform
ethical education
Questions to Reflect On
- When should one disobey a law?
- How can societies balance order with moral critique?
A Different Perspective
Blind obedience can perpetuate injustice.