--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Law and arbitrary power are at eternal…" description: "\"Law and arbitrary power are at eternal enmity\" — Edmund Burke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/edmund-burke-400_arbitrary_law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-e_2218657.jpg" --- # Law and arbitrary power are at eternal enmity ![“Law and arbitrary power are at eternal enmity” quote by Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/edmund-burke-400_arbitrary_law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-e_2218657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/edmund-burke-400_arbitrary_law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-e_2218657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/edmund-burke-400_arbitrary_law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-e_2218657.jpg) > “Law and arbitrary power are at eternal enmity” [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. Law and arbitrary power clash forever; authority must be restrained. **In simple terms:** Law opposes unchecked power. Key Takeaway Guard against tyranny. Themes politics law freedom Mood serious thoughtful Type philosophical political When to use this quote - government policy - corporate governance - judicial decisions Key Concepts social contract authority limits Questions to Reflect On - When can strong authority be necessary? - How to detect when law becomes arbitrary? A Different Perspective Power can be justified under certain circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arbitrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary/) [Arbitrary power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary-power/) [Enmity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enmity/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Eternal Enmity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-enmity-1426991/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Arbitrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-arbitrary-4942874/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Power Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-eternal-1768538/) ## Related quotes > [I glory in publicly avowing my eternal enmity to tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hancock/i-glory-in-publicly-avowing-my-eternal-enmity-to-tyranny/) [John Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hancock/) > [It is true, indeed, that the national domain is ours. It is true it was acquired by the valor and with the wealth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-seward/it-is-true-indeed-that-the-national-domain-is-ours-it-is-true-it-was/) [William H. Seward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-seward/) > [ \[I\]f vice and corruption prevail, liberty cannot subsist; but if virtue have the advantage, arbitrary power cannot be established. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-sidney/i-f-vice-and-corruption-prevail-liberty-cannot-subsist-but-if-virtue/) [Algernon Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-sidney/) > [“...The arbitrary power of the Government is unlimited, and unexampled in history; freedom of the Press, of opinion and of movement are as thoroughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-arbitrary-power-of-the-government-is-unlimited-and-unexampled-in/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Arbitrary power is like most other things which are very hard, very liable to be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-adams/arbitrary-power-is-like-most-other-things-which-are-very-hard-very/) [Abigail Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-adams/) > [If vice and corruption prevail, liberty cannot subsist; but if virtue have the advantage, arbitrary power cannot be established.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-sidney/if-vice-and-corruption-prevail-liberty-cannot-subsist-but-if-virtue/) [Algernon Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-sidney/) > [Freedom under law is hard work. If rulers cannot be trusted with arbitrary power, it is up to citizens to raise their voices at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lewis/freedom-under-law-is-hard-work-if-rulers-cannot-be-trusted-with/) [Anthony Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lewis/) > [Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/arbitrary-power-is-most-easily-established-on-the-ruins-of-liberty/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [There can be no greater stretch of arbitrary power than is required to seize children from their parents, teach them whatever the authorities decree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-paterson/there-can-be-no-greater-stretch-of-arbitrary-power-than-is-required/) [Isabel Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-paterson/) > [Arbitrary power has seldom... been introduced in any country at once. It must be introduced by slow degrees, and as it were step by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/arbitrary-power-has-seldom-been-introduced-in-any-country-at-once-it/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Arbitrary power is the natural object of temptation to a prince, as wine and women to a young fellow, or a bribe to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/arbitrary-power-is-the-natural-object-of-temptation-to-a-prince-as/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [God can do anything. He has all power in the palm of His Hand. My Body, like all other bodies, is a temporary habitation;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/god-can-do-anything-he-has-all-power-in-the-palm-of-his-hand-my-body/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [The thing that I would say is that U.S. power is not eternal. I am not saying that it won't come to an end.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kagan/the-thing-that-i-would-say-is-that-u-s-power-is-not-eternal-i-am-not/) [Robert Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kagan/) > [Spiritual power is the eternal guide, in this life and the life after, for man ranks supreme among all creatures. Led forward by spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-selassie/spiritual-power-is-the-eternal-guide-in-this-life-and-the-life-after/) [Haile Selassie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-selassie/) > [“There can be no greater stretch of arbitrary power than to seize children from their parents, teach them whatever the authorities decree they shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-paterson/there-can-be-no-greater-stretch-of-arbitrary-power-than-to-seize/) [Isabel Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-paterson/) ## More by Edmund Burke > [It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-the-interest-of-the-commercial-world-that-wealth-should-be/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“Many of the greatest tyrants on the records of history have begun their reigns in the fairest manner. But the truth is, this unnatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/many-of-the-greatest-tyrants-on-the-records-of-history-have-begun/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“Wise men will apply their remedies to vices, not to names; to the causes of evil which are permanent, not to the occasional organs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/wise-men-will-apply-their-remedies-to-vices-not-to-names-to-the/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“A man full of warm, speculative benevolence may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-man-full-of-warm-speculative-benevolence-may-wish-his-society/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [My vigour relents. I pardon something to the spirit of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/my-vigour-relents-i-pardon-something-to-the-spirit-of-liberty/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [A speculative despair is unpardonable where it our duty to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-speculative-despair-is-unpardonable-where-it-our-duty-to-act/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The great must submit to the dominion of prudence and of virtue, or none will long submit to the dominion of thegreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-great-must-submit-to-the-dominion-of-prudence-and-of-virtue-or/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/those-who-have-been-once-intoxicated-with-power-and-have-derived-any/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [What is it we all seek for in an election? To answer its real purposes, you must first possess the means of knowing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/what-is-it-we-all-seek-for-in-an-election-to-answer-its-real-purposes/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Society is indeed a contract. It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/society-is-indeed-a-contract-it-is-a-partnership-in-all-science-a/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [You can never plan the future by the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/you-can-never-plan-the-future-by-the-past/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The great inlet by which a colour for oppression has entered into the world is by one man's pretending to determine concerning the happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-great-inlet-by-which-a-colour-for-oppression-has-entered-into-the/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [By the disposition of a stupendous wisdom, moulding together the great mysterious incorporation of the human race, the whole, at one time, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/by-the-disposition-of-a-stupendous-wisdom-moulding-together-the-great/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Religion, to have any force upon men's understandings,--indeed, to exist at all,--must be supposed paramount to law, and independent for its substance upon any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/religion-to-have-any-force-upon-men-s-understandings-indeed-to-exist/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Explore all 595 Edmund Burke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) ## More Arbitrary quotes > [It is irresponsible to set an arbitrary cap on how much therapy a Medicare beneficiary can receive. It ignores the health needs of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/it-is-irresponsible-to-set-an-arbitrary-cap-on-how-much-therapy-a/) [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [Not to be offensive, not to be capricious, not to be arbitrary, not to be neurotic, not to be an actor outer, you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurt/not-to-be-offensive-not-to-be-capricious-not-to-be-arbitrary-not-to/) [William Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurt/) > [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [Habit is altogether too arbitrary a master for me to submit to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/habit-is-altogether-too-arbitrary-a-master-for-me-to-submit-to/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [I look back, now, and I know that the naming moment, which seemed so insignificant then, which seemed to demand no more than an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-look-back-now-and-i-know-that-the-naming-moment-which-seemed-so/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Contrary to what certain governments say, human rights are universal. Arbitrary detention, torture and discrimination hurt the human dignity of anybody, whatever his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/contrary-to-what-certain-governments-say-human-rights-are-universal/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [What causes adolescents to rebel is not the assertion of authority but the arbitrary use of power, with little explanation of the rules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/what-causes-adolescents-to-rebel-is-not-the-assertion-of-authority/) [Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/) > [There is something on earth greater than arbitrary or despotic power. The lightning has its power, and the whirlwind has its power, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/there-is-something-on-earth-greater-than-arbitrary-or-despotic-power/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [“nothing is arbitrary in this whole world, there is a good reason behind each and everything…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-kumar/nothing-is-arbitrary-in-this-whole-world-there-is-a-good-reason/) [Nikhil Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-kumar/) > [Fundamentally, adopting rules without any estimate of the impact is the height of arbitrary decision-making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-rielly/fundamentally-adopting-rules-without-any-estimate-of-the-impact-is/) [Michael O'Rielly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-rielly/) > [No arbitrary regulation, no act of the legislature, can add anything to the capital of the country; it can only force it into artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ramsay-mcculloch/no-arbitrary-regulation-no-act-of-the-legislature-can-add-anything-to/) [John Ramsay McCulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ramsay-mcculloch/) > [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) [Browse all 529 Arbitrary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arbitrary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Law and arbitrary power are at eternal enmity", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edmund Burke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-enmity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arbitrary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-enmity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/edmund-burke-400_arbitrary_law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-e_2218657.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/edmund-burke-400_arbitrary_law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-e_2218657.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/edmund-burke-400_arbitrary_law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-e_2218657.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Law and arbitrary power are at eternal enmity” — Edmund Burke", "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": "Edmund Burke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Law and arbitrary power are at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-enmity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/law-and-arbitrary-power-are-at-eternal-enmity/#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 } } ] } ```