--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It would be hard to point out any error…" description: "\"“It would be hard to point out any error more truly subversive of all the order and beauty, all the peace and happiness, of human society than the posi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/edmund-burke-400_beauty_it-would-be-hard-to-point-out-any-error_1129388.jpg" --- # It would be hard to point out any error more truly… ![“It would be hard to point out any error more truly subversive of all the order and beauty, all the peace and happiness, of human society than the position that the body of men have a right to make what laws they please; or that laws can derive any authority from their institution merely and…” quote by Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/edmund-burke-400_beauty_it-would-be-hard-to-point-out-any-error_1129388.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/edmund-burke-400_beauty_it-would-be-hard-to-point-out-any-error_1129388.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/edmund-burke-400_beauty_it-would-be-hard-to-point-out-any-error_1129388.jpg) > ““It would be hard to point out any error more truly subversive of all the order and beauty, all the peace and happiness, of human society than the position that the body of men have a right to make what laws they please; or that laws can derive any authority from their institution merely and independent of the quality of the subject-matter. No arguments of policy, reason of state, or preservation of the constitution can be pleaded in favor of such a practice. They may in deed impeach the frame of that constitution; but can never touch this immovable principle. This seems to be, indeed, the principle which Hobbes broached in the last century, and which was then so frequently and so ably refuted.”” [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Burke argues that allowing people to create laws at will undermines societal order, peace, and happiness, a principle he sees as immutable and historically contested. **In simple terms:** Making laws without restraint harms society. Key Takeaway Respect constitutional limits on lawmaking. Themes law society order philosophy politics Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - legislative drafting - constitutional reform - civic education - public policy debates Key Concepts social contract authority legitimacy Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance constitutional stability with needed legal change? - When is it justified to challenge entrenched legal principles? A Different Perspective Burke’s view may overlook necessary legal evolution and democratic participation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Peace and happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-and-happiness/) ## Related quotes > [The provision of the Constitution giving the war making power to Congress was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons: Kings had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-provision-of-the-constitution-giving-the-war-making-power-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We trace the hand of the Almighty in framing the constitution of our land, and believe that the Lord raised up men purposely for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorenzo-snow/we-trace-the-hand-of-the-almighty-in-framing-the-constitution-of-our/) [Lorenzo Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorenzo-snow/) > [“During elections for the 1776 convention to frame a constitution for Pennsylvania, a Privates Committee urged voters to oppose “great and overgrown rich men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/during-elections-for-the-1776-convention-to-frame-a-constitution-for-2/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“During elections for the 1776 convention to frame a constitution for Pennsylvania, a Privates Committee urged voters to oppose “great and overgrown rich men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/during-elections-for-the-1776-convention-to-frame-a-constitution-for/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > ["War," says Machiavelli, "ought to be the only study of a prince;" and by a prince he means every sort of state, however constituted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/war-says-machiavelli-ought-to-be-the-only-study-of-a-prince-and-by-a/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [If I had rolled along with the strip's popularity and repeated myself for another five, 10 or 20 years, the people now 'grieving' for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/if-i-had-rolled-along-with-the-strip-s-popularity-and-repeated-myself/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [The theory of social contracts extends as far back as Plato. 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