Allegiance Quote by H. G. Wells
“The lawgiver, of all beings, most owes the law allegiance. He of all men should behave as though the law compelled him. But it is the universal weakness of mankind that what we are given to administer we presently imagine we own.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, 1895
Law should be obeyed out of respect, not ownership; power corrupts perception of authority.
In simple terms: Respect law, don’t claim ownership.
Key Takeaway
Uphold law with humility.
Themes
law
authority
human nature
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- government service
- judicial roles
- civil activism
Key Concepts
political philosophy
ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance duty and authority?
- When does obedience become oppression?
A Different Perspective
Power can distort sense of duty.
![“The crisis [the Great Depression] discovered a great man in Franklin Roosevelt...None too soon he has carried America forward to the second stage of democratic realization. His New Deal involves such collective controls of the national business that it would be absurd to call it anything but…” quote by H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/772/h-g-wells-1122_absurd_the-crisis-the-great-depression-discover_120950.jpg)
![“[A novel by Henry James] is like a church lit but without a congregation to distract you, with every light and line focused on the high altar. And on the altar, very reverently place, intensely there, is a dead kitten, an egg-shell, a bit of string.” quote by H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/699/h-g-wells-1122_altars_a-novel-by-henry-james-is-like-a-church_158550.jpg)
