Law Quote by George Sutherland
![“One who does a thing in order to avoid a monetary penalty does not agree; he yields to compulsion precisely the same as though he did so to avoid a term in jail." [Justice George Sutherland, in the majority opinion for the Carter Coal case]” quote by George Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc9/george-sutherland-37935_law_one-who-does-a-thing-in-order-to-avoid-a_77961.jpg)
““One who does a thing in order to avoid a monetary penalty does not agree; he yields to compulsion precisely the same as though he did so to avoid a term in jail." [Justice George Sutherland, in the majority opinion for the Carter Coal case]””
About This Quote
Compulsion driven by fear of penalty mirrors coercion of imprisonment; true agreement requires voluntary consent.
In simple terms: Penalty avoidance is coercion.
Key Takeaway
Freedom requires choice, not fear.
Themes
ethics
law
autonomy
coercion
consent
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
maxim
legal observation
When to use this quote
- making policy decisions
- negotiating contracts
- evaluating compliance
Key Concepts
moral agency
legal principle
Practical Applications
- designing fair regulations
- educational ethics courses
Questions to Reflect On
- Is compliance without choice truly ethical?
- How does fear shape our decisions?
![“In the criminal law [...] imprisonment should be resorted to only after the most anxious consideration.” quote by Pius Langa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/561/pius-langa-100626_constitutional-law_in-the-criminal-law-imprisonment-should_1321458.jpg)
![“Do the people of this land…desire to preserve those [liberties] protected by the First Amendment… If so, let them withstand all beginnings of encroachment. For the saddest epitaph which can be carved in memory of a vanquished liberty is that it was lost because its possessors failed to stretch for…” quote by George Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/755/george-sutherland-37935_amendments_do-the-people-of-this-land-desire-to-pre_2661943.jpg)
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
![“[Islam] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left for Muslims lies in their observance of the God-made law.” quote by Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/704/abul-a-la-maududi-51903_function_islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislatio_886.jpg)
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
