--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For eighteen hundred years, though…" description: "\"For eighteen hundred years, though perchance I have no right to say it, the New Testament has been written; yet where is the legislator who has wisdom ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/henry-david-thoreau-20_bible_for-eighteen-hundred-years-though-percha_2820536.jpg" --- # For eighteen hundred years, though perchance I have no… ![“For eighteen hundred years, though perchance I have no right to say it, the New Testament has been written; yet where is the legislator who has wisdom and practical talent enough to avail himself of the light which it sheds on the science of legislation?” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/henry-david-thoreau-20_bible_for-eighteen-hundred-years-though-percha_2820536.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/henry-david-thoreau-20_bible_for-eighteen-hundred-years-though-percha_2820536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/henry-david-thoreau-20_bible_for-eighteen-hundred-years-though-percha_2820536.jpg) > “For eighteen hundred years, though perchance I have no right to say it, the New Testament has been written; yet where is the legislator who has wisdom and practical talent enough to avail himself of the light which it sheds on the science of legislation?” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Thoreau questions the New Testament offers deep insight for lawmaking, yet no legislator has fully applied its wisdom to practical governance. **In simple terms:** Religious insight is underused in law. Key Takeaway Seek moral guidance in legislation. Themes law morality religion governance wisdom Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - legislative drafting - judicial reasoning - public ethics - policy reform Key Concepts natural law ethical philosophy public policy Questions to Reflect On - How can ancient moral teachings inform contemporary law? - What limits exist in applying religious wisdom to secular legislation? A Different Perspective Religious texts may not address modern complexities directly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Eighteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighteen/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Legislation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislation/) [Legislator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislator/) [Legislator Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislator-wisdom-3585899/) [Legislators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legislators/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [New testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-testament/) [Practicals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practicals/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Legislation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-legislation-2235052/) [Shed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shed/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Testament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testament/) [Testament Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/testament-written-1301249/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [Written Legislator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-legislator-3585900/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [The science of legislation is like that of medicine in one respect: that it is far more easy to point out what will do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/the-science-of-legislation-is-like-that-of-medicine-in-one-respect/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [What I have absolutely no sympathy with is the legislator, the man who seeks, for his own profit, to exploit the weaknesses of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/what-i-have-absolutely-no-sympathy-with-is-the-legislator-the-man-who/) [Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/) > [The job of a legislator is much more fixing existing law, revising it, improving it, than it is passing something that doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/the-job-of-a-legislator-is-much-more-fixing-existing-law-revising-it/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [A super-legislator body is not what the court was intended to be, When I ponder our country and its greatness, its weakness, its potential,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-coburn/a-super-legislator-body-is-not-what-the-court-was-intended-to-be-when/) [Tom Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-coburn/) > [In the end, I think part of my problem was that I was a better legislator than I was a politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-maffei/in-the-end-i-think-part-of-my-problem-was-that-i-was-a-better/) [Dan Maffei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-maffei/) > [I envy neither the heart nor the head of any legislator who has been born to an inheritance of privileges, who has behind him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-harper/i-envy-neither-the-heart-nor-the-head-of-any-legislator-who-has-been/) [Frances Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-harper/) > [No man can be a competent legislator who does not add to an upright intention and a sound judgment a certain degree of knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/no-man-can-be-a-competent-legislator-who-does-not-add-to-an-upright/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [It is not true that the legislator has absolute power over our persons and property, since they pre-exist, and his work is only to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/it-is-not-true-that-the-legislator-has-absolute-power-over-our/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [A legislator must know how to take advantage of even the defects of those he wants to govern. The art consists in making others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-legislator-must-know-how-to-take-advantage-of-even-the-defects-of/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I think that we're just fortunate that you have an experienced legislator: 26 years of fighting for our issues in line. I mean, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-smeal/i-think-that-we-re-just-fortunate-that-you-have-an-experienced/) [Eleanor Smeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-smeal/) > [Violence against women is as American as apple pie. I know, not only as a legislator, but from personal experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-moore/violence-against-women-is-as-american-as-apple-pie-i-know-not-only-as/) [Gwen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-moore/) > [The legislator is like the navigator of a ship on the high seas. He can steer the vessel on which he sails, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-legislator-is-like-the-navigator-of-a-ship-on-the-high-seas-he/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [ Carolyn \[Maloney\] is the kind of legislator who, whether she's in the majority or the minority, whether her party is in the majority or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-smeal/carolyn-maloney-is-the-kind-of-legislator-who-whether-she-s-in-the/) [Eleanor Smeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-smeal/) > [The same things are best both for individuals and for states, and these are the things which the legislator ought to implant in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-same-things-are-best-both-for-individuals-and-for-states-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The legislator commands the future; to be feeble will avail him nothing: it is for him to will what is good and to perpetuate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-antoine-de-saint-just/the-legislator-commands-the-future-to-be-feeble-will-avail-him/) [Louis Antoine de Saint-Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-antoine-de-saint-just/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. 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Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Bible quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“God hates Hell. 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He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) [Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) [Robert A. 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It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/) [Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/) > [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/) [Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/) > [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/) [Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/) > [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? 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