--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The wickedness of mankind makes it…" description: "\"“The wickedness of mankind makes it necessary for the law to suppose them better than they really are”\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/anonymous-1_law_the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-neces_1385344.jpg" --- # The wickedness of mankind makes it necessary for the law… ![“The wickedness of mankind makes it necessary for the law to suppose them better than they really are” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/anonymous-1_law_the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-neces_1385344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/anonymous-1_law_the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-neces_1385344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/anonymous-1_law_the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-neces_1385344.jpg) > ““The wickedness of mankind makes it necessary for the law to suppose them better than they really are”” [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. Law must assume people are better than they truly are to maintain order. **In simple terms:** Law presumes people are better. Key Takeaway Recognize the gap between ideal and reality. Themes law human nature ethics governance Mood critical skeptical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - legislation - judicial decisions - public policy - civil rights Key Concepts social contract moral optimism Questions to Reflect On - Is it realistic to expect moral improvement? - How should law address human imperfections? A Different Perspective May ignore systemic flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Wickedness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wickedness/) ## Related quotes > [To philosopher and historian the madness and imbecile wickedness of mankind ought to appear ordinary events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/to-philosopher-and-historian-the-madness-and-imbecile-wickedness-of/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Yeah, if it hadn't been for me everybody'd be a lot better off--my wife and my kids and my friends… I wish I'd never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-goodrich/yeah-if-it-hadn-t-been-for-me-everybody-d-be-a-lot-better-off-my-wife/) Frances Goodrich > [I suppose it's better to be a lucky manager than a good one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-bruce/i-suppose-it-s-better-to-be-a-lucky-manager-than-a-good-one/) [Steve Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-bruce/) > [“It is not enough to be electors only. It is necessary to be law-makers; otherwise those who can be law-makers will be the masters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhimrao-ramji-ambedkar/it-is-not-enough-to-be-electors-only-it-is-necessary-to-be-law-makers/) [Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhimrao-ramji-ambedkar/) > [...all phenomena are correlated in one absolute and necessary law, from which they can all be deduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/all-phenomena-are-correlated-in-one-absolute-and-necessary-law-from/) [Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/) > [The ban on assault weapons was a good and necessary law that was allowed to lapse through the influence of special interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-letscher/the-ban-on-assault-weapons-was-a-good-and-necessary-law-that-was/) [Matt Letscher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-letscher/) > [Free discussion is the only necessary Constitution - the only necessary Law of the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carlile/free-discussion-is-the-only-necessary-constitution-the-only-necessary/) Richard Carlile > [Wickedness is weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wickedness-is-weakness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Satirize wickedness if you must--but pity weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/satirize-wickedness-if-you-must-but-pity-weakness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The sun also shines on the wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sun-also-shines-on-the-wicked/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Now the wickedness of the world is already so great that it needs no more teaching to make it worse.  On the whole, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-the-wickedness-of-the-world-is-already-so-great-that-it-needs-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...the sorrows God sent us brought comfort and strength with them, while the sorrows we brought on ourselves, through folly or wickedness, were by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sorrows-god-sent-us-brought-comfort-and-strength-with-them-while/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am a wicked man... But do you know, gentlemen, what was the main point about my wickedness? The whole thing, precisely was, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-a-wicked-man-but-do-you-know-gentlemen-what-was-the-main-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a person seems wicked, do not cast him away. Awaken him with your words, elevate him with your deeds, repay his injury with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-person-seems-wicked-do-not-cast-him-away-awaken-him-with-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And remember as in all of us, it is only your capacity for wickedness that makes selflessness possible" -Lurline”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-remember-as-in-all-of-us-it-is-only-your-capacity-for-wickedness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Law quotes > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [The law is like apparel, which alters with the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dodderidge/the-law-is-like-apparel-which-alters-with-the-time/) John Dodderidge > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Laws undertake to punish only overt acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laws-undertake-to-punish-only-overt-acts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Browse all 16,973 Law quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The wickedness of mankind makes it necessary for the law to suppose them better than they really are”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-necessary-for-the-law-to-suppose/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Law" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-necessary-for-the-law-to-suppose/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/anonymous-1_law_the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-neces_1385344.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/anonymous-1_law_the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-neces_1385344.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/anonymous-1_law_the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-neces_1385344.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The wickedness of mankind makes it necessary for the law to suppose them better than they really are” — 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": "“The wickedness of mankind makes it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-necessary-for-the-law-to-suppose/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-wickedness-of-mankind-makes-it-necessary-for-the-law-to-suppose/#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 } } ] } ```