--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In order to know what [the law] is, we…" description: "\"In order to know what [the law] is, we must know what it has been, and what it tends to become.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/anonymous-1_justice_in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must_1827060.jpg" --- # In order to know what \[the law\] is, we must know what it… ![“In order to know what [the law] is, we must know what it has been, and what it tends to become.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/anonymous-1_justice_in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must_1827060.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/anonymous-1_justice_in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must_1827060.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/anonymous-1_justice_in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must_1827060.jpg) > “In order to know what \[the law\] is, we must know what it has been, and what it tends to become.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding law requires historical context and future implications. **In simple terms:** Know law’s past and future. Key Takeaway Study legal evolution. Themes law history future Mood analytical thoughtful Type academic informative When to use this quote - policy making - legal education - activism - courtroom strategy Key Concepts jurisprudence political science Questions to Reflect On - How does past law shape current issues? - What trends might reshape law? A Different Perspective Legal change can be unpredictable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) ## Related quotes > [Don't believe in miracles and I won't even try, I know the law I know how to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/motorhead/don-t-believe-in-miracles-and-i-won-t-even-try-i-know-the-law-i-know/) [Motorhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/motorhead/) > [Fact I know; and Law I know; but what is this Necessity, save an empty shadow of my own mind's throwing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/fact-i-know-and-law-i-know-but-what-is-this-necessity-save-an-empty/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [The law is above the law, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-salisbury-davis/the-law-is-above-the-law-you-know/) [Dorothy Salisbury Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-salisbury-davis/) > [One ought to go too far, in order to know how far one can go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/one-ought-to-go-too-far-in-order-to-know-how-far-one-can-go/) [Heinrich Böll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) > [You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/you-can-know-the-law-by-heart-without-knowing-the-heart-of-it/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [You mine your own past in order to get to know yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-simmons/you-mine-your-own-past-in-order-to-get-to-know-yourself/) [Laurie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-simmons/) > [In order to know your enemy, you must become your enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bradford/in-order-to-know-your-enemy-you-must-become-your-enemy/) [Chris Bradford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bradford/) > [Justice requires lawyers who are prepared, witnesses who tell the truth, judges who know the law, and jurors who stay awake. Justice is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-levine/justice-requires-lawyers-who-are-prepared-witnesses-who-tell-the/) [Paul Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-levine/) > [I operate according to a definite, unerring law...I know the outcome before I start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcdonald/i-operate-according-to-a-definite-unerring-law-i-know-the-outcome/) [Roger McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcdonald/) > [The man who does not know the nature of the Law, cannot know the nature of sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-man-who-does-not-know-the-nature-of-the-law-cannot-know-the/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [If you're going to vote yes and change the law. You have to know what's in it. You can't depend on other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-amash/if-you-re-going-to-vote-yes-and-change-the-law-you-have-to-know-what/) [Justin Amash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-amash/) > [I don't pretend to be an expert on intellectual property law, but I do know one thing. If a music industry executive claims I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-ian/i-don-t-pretend-to-be-an-expert-on-intellectual-property-law-but-i-do/) [Janis Ian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-ian/) > [lawyers never go to law, do they? They know better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/lawyers-never-go-to-law-do-they-they-know-better/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [I don't hold any contempt for people who are practicing law. I know how hard it is, I know how hard they work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-don-t-hold-any-contempt-for-people-who-are-practicing-law-i-know/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [I know two types of law because I know two types of men, those who are with us and those who are against us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-goring/i-know-two-types-of-law-because-i-know-two-types-of-men-those-who-are/) [Hermann Goring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-goring/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Justice quotes > [Never fight on the wrong side; you might win but the burden of guilt is more than a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-salan/never-fight-on-the-wrong-side-you-might-win-but-the-burden-of-guilt/) [Lilian Salan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-salan/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [At minimum, we must recognize that there are legitimate, unanswered questions about whether the Obama Justice Department involved themselves in a political project targeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/at-minimum-we-must-recognize-that-there-are-legitimate-unanswered/) [Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [There is no freedom without justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/there-is-no-freedom-without-justice/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [“The absence of judgment becomes a catalyst and an enabler for greater injustice. Contrary to popular thought, judgment is a GOOD thing when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-chace-gordon/the-absence-of-judgment-becomes-a-catalyst-and-an-enabler-for-greater/) [J. Chace Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-chace-gordon/) > [The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/the-function-of-the-law-is-not-to-provide-justice-or-to-preserve/) [Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/) [Browse all 13,527 Justice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In order to know what [the law] is, we must know what it has been, and what it tends to become.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must-know-what-it-has-been-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Justice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must-know-what-it-has-been-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/anonymous-1_justice_in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must_1827060.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/anonymous-1_justice_in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must_1827060.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/anonymous-1_justice_in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must_1827060.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In order to know what [the law] is, we must know what it has been, and what it tends to become.” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In order to know what [the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must-know-what-it-has-been-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-know-what-the-law-is-we-must-know-what-it-has-been-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```