--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever the offence inspires less horror…" description: "\"Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way to the common feelings of mankind.\" — Edw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/edward-gibbon-710_common_whenever-the-offence-inspires-less-horro_1290976.png" --- # Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the… ![“Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way to the common feelings of mankind.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/edward-gibbon-710_common_whenever-the-offence-inspires-less-horro_1290976.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/edward-gibbon-710_common_whenever-the-offence-inspires-less-horro_1290976.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef8/edward-gibbon-710_common_whenever-the-offence-inspires-less-horro_1290976.png) > “Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way to the common feelings of mankind.” [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When punishment feels less harsh than the crime, law must yield to common humanity. **In simple terms:** Law should reflect human compassion. Key Takeaway Align justice with empathy. Themes law ethics humanity Mood thoughtful serious Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - court sentencing - policy reform - restorative justice - public opinion Key Concepts penal theory social norms compassionate justice Questions to Reflect On - When should punishment be softened? - How does public sentiment influence legal standards? A Different Perspective Balancing deterrence and compassion is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Drug laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-laws/) [Drug prohibition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-prohibition/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Horror Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-punishment-4204993/) [Inspire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspire/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Nullification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nullification/) [Obliged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obliged/) [Offence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offence/) [Penal Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penal-law-1039341/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Punishment Rigour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment-rigour-4204992/) [Rigour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rigour/) [Rigour Penal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rigour-penal-4204994/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Crime is only the retail department of what, in wholesale, we call penal law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/crime-is-only-the-retail-department-of-what-in-wholesale-we-call/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Penal law was not created by the common people, nor by the peasantry, nor by the proletariat, but entirely by the bourgeoisie as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/penal-law-was-not-created-by-the-common-people-nor-by-the-peasantry/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [Prostitution is really the only crime in the penal law where two people are doing a thing mutually agreed upon and yet only one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/prostitution-is-really-the-only-crime-in-the-penal-law-where-two/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [It is not only the juror's right, but his duty to find the verdict according to his own best understanding, judgment and conscience, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/it-is-not-only-the-juror-s-right-but-his-duty-to-find-the-verdict/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Nullification is the Jeffersonian idea that the states of the American Union must judge the constitutionality of the acts of their agent, the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-woods/nullification-is-the-jeffersonian-idea-that-the-states-of-the/) [Thomas Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-woods/) > [The States then being the parties to the constitutional compact, and in their sovereign capacity, it follows of necessity, that there can be no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-states-then-being-the-parties-to-the-constitutional-compact-and/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [In this relation, then, the proposed government cannot be deemed a national one; 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