--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The law was made for one thing alone, for…" description: "\"The law was made for one thing alone, for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are prevented by naked misery from obeying it.\" — Berto..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/bertolt-brecht-1065_exploitation_the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for_2670702.jpg" --- # The law was made for one thing alone, for the exploitation… ![“The law was made for one thing alone, for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are prevented by naked misery from obeying it.” quote by Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/bertolt-brecht-1065_exploitation_the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for_2670702.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/bertolt-brecht-1065_exploitation_the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for_2670702.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/bertolt-brecht-1065_exploitation_the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for_2670702.jpg) > “The law was made for one thing alone, for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are prevented by naked misery from obeying it.” [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laws are often designed to exploit the ignorant and impoverished, reinforcing oppression. **In simple terms:** Laws can oppress the vulnerable. Key Takeaway Advocate for equitable legal reform. Themes justice exploitation law Mood critical somber Type political philosophical When to use this quote - legal advocacy - policy reform - community organizing Key Concepts Power dynamics social inequality Questions to Reflect On - Who benefits from current laws? - How can the powerless be empowered? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched legal systems is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) ## Related quotes > [“The law was made for one thing alone,for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are prevented by naked misery from obeying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for-the-exploitation-of-those/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [The existence of law is one thing; its merit or demerit is another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-austin/the-existence-of-law-is-one-thing-its-merit-or-demerit-is-another/) John Austin > [There are two laws discreteNot reconciled,Law for man, and law for thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-are-two-laws-discretenot-reconciled-law-for-man-and-law-for/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Law is a thing which is insensible, and inexorable, more beneficial and more profitious to the weak than to the strong; it admits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/law-is-a-thing-which-is-insensible-and-inexorable-more-beneficial-and/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [Under what law each thing was created, and how necessary it is for it to continue under this, and how it cannot annul the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/under-what-law-each-thing-was-created-and-how-necessary-it-is-for-it/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [ I went right to Chicago to do improv \[after law school\], but I wish I had gone, "Let me just bypass this law thing."… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-fulcher/i-went-right-to-chicago-to-do-improv-after-law-school-but-i-wish-i/) [Rich Fulcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-fulcher/) > [When you make machines that are capable of obeying instructions slavishly, and among those instructions are 'duplicate me' instructions, then of course the system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/when-you-make-machines-that-are-capable-of-obeying-instructions/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Being Christian is not just obeying orders but means being in Christ, thinking like him, acting like him, loving like him; it means letting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/being-christian-is-not-just-obeying-orders-but-means-being-in-christ/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Stop obeying a dictator; you will then see that he is nothing! Stop obeying a king; you will then see that he is nothing!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/stop-obeying-a-dictator-you-will-then-see-that-he-is-nothing-stop/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The slave should be resigned to his lot, in obeying his master he is obeying God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/the-slave-should-be-resigned-to-his-lot-in-obeying-his-master-he-is/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/he-who-has-never-learned-to-obey-cannot-be-a-good-commander/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [A man can go along obeying all the rules and then it don't matter a damn anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/a-man-can-go-along-obeying-all-the-rules-and-then-it-don-t-matter-a/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [One of the first things one notices in a backward country is that children are still obeying their parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-first-things-one-notices-in-a-backward-country-is-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God’s will, even if you have to stand alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulisses-soares/have-the-moral-courage-to-stand-firm-in-obeying-god-s-will-even-if/) [Ulisses Soares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulisses-soares/) ## More by Bertolt Brecht > [Their peace and their war Are like wind and storm. War grows from their peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/their-peace-and-their-war-are-like-wind-and-storm-war-grows-from/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Boy Meets Girl, So What?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/boy-meets-girl-so-what/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Some party hack decreed that the people had lost the government's confidence and could only regain it with redoubled effort. If that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/some-party-hack-decreed-that-the-people-had-lost-the-government-s/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/art-is-not-a-mirror-held-up-to-reality-but-a-hammer-with-which-to/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [People remain what they are even if their faces fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/people-remain-what-they-are-even-if-their-faces-fall-apart/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Go make yourself a plan And be a shining light. Then make yourself a second plan, For neither will come right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/go-make-yourself-a-plan-and-be-a-shining-light-then-make-yourself-a/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Fearful is the seductive power of goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/fearful-is-the-seductive-power-of-goodness/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/hungry-man-reach-for-the-book-it-is-a-weapon/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [There are some with brains and some without. It makes for a better division of labour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/there-are-some-with-brains-and-some-without-it-makes-for-a-better/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [“When the sharks the sharks devour Little fishes have their hour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/when-the-sharks-the-sharks-devour-little-fishes-have-their-hour/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [“In my poetry a rhyme Would seem to me almost insolent. Inside me contend Delight at the apple tree in blossom And horror at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/in-my-poetry-a-rhyme-would-seem-to-me-almost-insolent-inside-me/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [“The law was made for one thing alone,for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are prevented by naked misery from obeying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for-the-exploitation-of-those/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [From the start it has been the theatre's business to entertain people ... it needs no other passport than fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/from-the-start-it-has-been-the-theatre-s-business-to-entertain-people/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Whenever there are great virtues, it's a sure sign something's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/whenever-there-are-great-virtues-it-s-a-sure-sign-something-s-wrong/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [First feed the face, then talk right and wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/first-feed-the-face-then-talk-right-and-wrong/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) [Explore all 260 Bertolt Brecht quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) ## More Exploitation quotes > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [When the idea came up, (Newman's Own) I said, "Are you crazy? Stick my face on the label of salad dressing?" And then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/when-the-idea-came-up-newman-s-own-i-said-are-you-crazy-stick-my-face/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [Communism is inequality, but not as property is. Property is exploitation of the weak by the strong. Communism is exploitation of the strong by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/communism-is-inequality-but-not-as-property-is-property-is/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [Marx saw exploitation in terms of the rewards of human labor, but we can see it in terms of all the values of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/marx-saw-exploitation-in-terms-of-the-rewards-of-human-labor-but-we/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is one of the most vicious crimes conceivable, a violation of mankind's most basic duty to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-walsh/the-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation-of-children-is-one-of-the-most/) [James T. Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-walsh/) > [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [For my whole life I have dedicated myself to those who have been subjected to injustice. I've conducted investigations and written in newspapers about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/for-my-whole-life-i-have-dedicated-myself-to-those-who-have-been/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [If we human beings learn to see the intricacies that bind one part of a natural system to another and then to us, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/if-we-human-beings-learn-to-see-the-intricacies-that-bind-one-part-of/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [The marketing of anything is full of exploitation and lies and hype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/the-marketing-of-anything-is-full-of-exploitation-and-lies-and-hype/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [“Often, her mate is the child of a narcissist, already indoctrinated to regard exploitation and disregard as love. Others lured by the narcissistic aura…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elan-golomb/often-her-mate-is-the-child-of-a-narcissist-already-indoctrinated-to/) Elan Golomb > [“A flat tire is like a bad attitude, you won't go anywhere until you change it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-brown/a-flat-tire-is-like-a-bad-attitude-you-won-t-go-anywhere-until-you/) Winston Brown > [Extension work is not exhortation. Nor is it exploitation of the people, or advertising of an institution, or publicity work for securing students. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-hyde-bailey/extension-work-is-not-exhortation-nor-is-it-exploitation-of-the/) [Liberty Hyde Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-hyde-bailey/) [Browse all 648 Exploitation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The law was made for one thing alone, for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are prevented by naked misery from obeying it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bertolt Brecht" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for-the-exploitation-of-those-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Exploitation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for-the-exploitation-of-those-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/bertolt-brecht-1065_exploitation_the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for_2670702.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/bertolt-brecht-1065_exploitation_the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for_2670702.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/bertolt-brecht-1065_exploitation_the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for_2670702.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The law was made for one thing alone, for the exploitation of those who don't understand it, or are…” — Bertolt Brecht", "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": "Bertolt Brecht", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The law was made for one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for-the-exploitation-of-those-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/the-law-was-made-for-one-thing-alone-for-the-exploitation-of-those-2/#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 } } ] } ```