Ancient Quote by Aristophanes
“An ancient tradition declares that every idiot blunder we pass into law will sooner or later redound to Athens' profit.”
About This Quote
Source Play: “The Wasps” (c. 422 BC), Aristophanes
A tradition warns that foolish laws eventually benefit the city of Athens
In simple terms: Bad laws eventually have unintended positive effects for Athens
Key Takeaway
Expect unintended outcomes from legislation
Themes
law
politics
history
satire
consequence
Mood
cautionary
reflective
Type
historical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- Legislative drafting
- civic education
- historical analysis
- political debate
- risk assessment
Key Concepts
Legislation
unintended effects
public policy
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards can prevent harmful legislation?
- How do societies learn from legal mistakes?
A Different Perspective
May underestimate harm of poor laws
![“You [demagogues] are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing is good; in the same way it's only in troublous times that you line your pockets.” quote by Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4f7/aristophanes-3340_demagoguery_you-demagogues-are-like-the-fishers-for_87488.jpg)
![“[Y]ou [man] are fool enough, it seems, to dare to war with [woman=] me, when for your faithful ally you might win me easily.” quote by Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d43/aristophanes-3340_allies_y-ou-man-are-fool-enough-it-seems-to-dar_185861.jpg)
