--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a strange thing, we think that law…" description: "\"It's a strange thing, we think that law brings order. Law doesn't. How do we know that law does not bring order? Look around us. We live under the rule..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/howard-zinn-576_doe_it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-b_863580.jpg" --- # It's a strange thing, we think that law brings order. Law… ![“It's a strange thing, we think that law brings order. Law doesn't. How do we know that law does not bring order? Look around us. We live under the rule of law. Notice how much order we have?” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/howard-zinn-576_doe_it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-b_863580.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/howard-zinn-576_doe_it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-b_863580.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/howard-zinn-576_doe_it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-b_863580.jpg) > “It's a strange thing, we think that law brings order. Law doesn't. How do we know that law does not bring order? Look around us. We live under the rule of law. Notice how much order we have?” [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Law’s order is a myth; order emerges from social structures, not merely legal rules. **In simple terms:** Law alone doesn’t create order; society does. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about law and order. Themes law order social contract critical thinking Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - policy analysis - community organizing - legal reform - education curricula Key Concepts political science philosophy history Questions to Reflect On - How does law influence social order? - What alternatives to law can maintain order? A Different Perspective Legal systems can still provide stability despite imperfections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Rule of law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-of-law/) [Strange things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-things/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [ \[T\]he rule of law does more than ensure freedom from high-handed action by rulers. It ensures justice between man and man however humble the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/t-he-rule-of-law-does-more-than-ensure-freedom-from-high-handed/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [When in all the nations of the world the rule of law is the darling of the leaders and the plague of the people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/when-in-all-the-nations-of-the-world-the-rule-of-law-is-the-darling/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The rule of law does not do away with the unequal distribution of wealth and power, but reinforces that inequality with the authority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-rule-of-law-does-not-do-away-with-the-unequal-distribution-of/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Freedom is order through law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-a-hayek/freedom-is-order-through-law/) [Friedrich A. Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-a-hayek/) > [I had proposed to HBO a series about the city cops in Rome at the time of Nero. What had interested me was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milch/i-had-proposed-to-hbo-a-series-about-the-city-cops-in-rome-at-the/) [David Milch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milch/) > [Justice is merely incidental to law and order. Law and order is what covers the whole picture. Justice is part of it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-edgar-hoover/justice-is-merely-incidental-to-law-and-order-law-and-order-is-what/) [J. Edgar Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-edgar-hoover/) > [Order is the law of all intelligible existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-blackie/order-is-the-law-of-all-intelligible-existence/) [John Stuart Blackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-blackie/) > [Order is the first law of heaven, and you have to have order to survive on Earth. Figure out what has to be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/order-is-the-first-law-of-heaven-and-you-have-to-have-order-to/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Order is the law of nature, the universal trend, the cosmic direction. If time is an arrow, that arrow points toward order. The future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/order-is-the-law-of-nature-the-universal-trend-the-cosmic-direction/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [To live as one likes is plebian the noble man aspires to order and law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/to-live-as-one-likes-is-plebian-the-noble-man-aspires-to-order-and-law/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Law and order are everywhere the law and order which protect the established hierarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/law-and-order-are-everywhere-the-law-and-order-which-protect-the/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [Chaos is the first condition. Order is the first law. Continuity is the first reflection. Quietude is the first happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/chaos-is-the-first-condition-order-is-the-first-law-continuity-is-the/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [When human affairs are so ordered that there is no recognition of God, there is a belittling of man. That is why, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/when-human-affairs-are-so-ordered-that-there-is-no-recognition-of-god/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [“Charged with the mission of operating beyond the boundaries of civilization with minimal support and no communication from higher authority, they lived and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-w-knowles/charged-with-the-mission-of-operating-beyond-the-boundaries-of/) Thomas W. Knowles > [Revolt and terror pay a price. Order and law have a cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/revolt-and-terror-pay-a-price-order-and-law-have-a-cost/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) ## More by Howard Zinn > [“A black man, Benjamin Banneker, who taught himself mathematics and astronomy, predicted accurately a solar eclipse, and was appointed to plan the new city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-black-man-benjamin-banneker-who-taught-himself-mathematics-and/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/there-is-no-flag-large-enough-to-cover-the-shame-of-killing-innocent/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“a good education is a synthesis of book learning and involvement in social action, because each enrich the other. The accumulation of knowledge, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-good-education-is-a-synthesis-of-book-learning-and-involvement-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The mountain of history books under which we all stand leans so heavily in the other direction-so tremblingly respectful of states and statesmen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-mountain-of-history-books-under-which-we-all-stand-leans-so/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a "free market", we have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/let-s-face-a-historical-truth-we-have-never-had-a-free-market-we-have/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-can-understand-pessimism-but-i-don-t-believe-in-it-it-s-not-simply/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/protest-beyond-the-law-is-not-a-departure-from-democracy-it-is/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/now-i-have-been-studying-very-closely-what-happens-every-day-in-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [They were not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, they were absent in the Constitution and they were invisible in the new political democracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/they-were-not-mentioned-in-the-declaration-of-independence-they-were/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Sexual purity was to be the special virtue of a woman. It was assumed that men, as a matter of biological nature, would sin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/sexual-purity-was-to-be-the-special-virtue-of-a-woman-it-was-assumed/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Middle-class Americans might be invited to join a new elite by attacks against the corruption of the established rich. The New Yorker Cadwallader Colden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/middle-class-americans-might-be-invited-to-join-a-new-elite-by/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/if-those-in-charge-of-our-society-politicians-corporate-executives/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/we-were-not-born-critical-of-existing-society-there-was-a-moment-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/behind-the-deceptive-words-designed-to-entice-people-into-supporting/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“George Washington had turned down the requests of blacks, seeking freedom, to fight in the Revolutionary army. So when the British military commander in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/george-washington-had-turned-down-the-requests-of-blacks-seeking/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) [Explore all 461 Howard Zinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## More Doe quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a strange thing, we think that law brings order. Law doesn't. How do we know that law does not bring order? Look around us. We live under the rule of law. Notice how much order we have?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Howard Zinn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-brings-order-law-doesn-t-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-brings-order-law-doesn-t-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/howard-zinn-576_doe_it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-b_863580.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/howard-zinn-576_doe_it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-b_863580.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e3/howard-zinn-576_doe_it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-b_863580.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a strange thing, we think that law brings order. Law doesn't. How do we know that law does not bring…” — Howard Zinn", "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": "Howard Zinn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a strange thing, we think...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-brings-order-law-doesn-t-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/it-s-a-strange-thing-we-think-that-law-brings-order-law-doesn-t-how/#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 } } ] } ```