--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let men not ask what the law requires…" description: "\"Let men not ask what the law requires, but give whatever freedom demands.\" — Jefferson Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/jefferson-davis-9399_asks_let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-bu_2737469.jpg" --- # Let men not ask what the law requires, but give whatever… ![“Let men not ask what the law requires, but give whatever freedom demands.” quote by Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/jefferson-davis-9399_asks_let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-bu_2737469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/jefferson-davis-9399_asks_let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-bu_2737469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/jefferson-davis-9399_asks_let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-bu_2737469.jpg) > “Let men not ask what the law requires, but give whatever freedom demands.” [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates prioritizing liberty over strict legalism, urging actions driven by freedom's demands. **In simple terms:** Freedom over law. Key Takeaway Act on liberty, not just legal duty. Themes freedom law individualism Mood reflective critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - legal reform - personal decisions Key Concepts political philosophy civil rights Questions to Reflect On - When does freedom conflict with law? - How to balance liberty and order? A Different Perspective May ignore necessary regulations, leading to chaos. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Demands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demands/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Demands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-demands-1805352/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Requires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-requires-1743610/) [Let me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-me/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Requires Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/requires-freedom-927489/) ## Related quotes > [Innovation actually demands freedom and freedom demands innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-ayyadurai/innovation-actually-demands-freedom-and-freedom-demands-innovation/) [Shiva Ayyadurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-ayyadurai/) > [Freedom demands that we struggle for an extension of both equality and free expression, not regard one as inimical to the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/freedom-demands-that-we-struggle-for-an-extension-of-both-equality/) [Kenan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-malik/) > [We all nurture impulses which promise freedom from the demands of others, even if that freedom means death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-tanenhaus/we-all-nurture-impulses-which-promise-freedom-from-the-demands-of/) [Sam Tanenhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-tanenhaus/) > [Freedom doesn't mean aimlessness. We can't just sleepwalk through life… Freedom demands structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/freedom-doesn-t-mean-aimlessness-we-can-t-just-sleepwalk-through-life/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [“It's painful fighting for freedom. Freedom has demands. To begin, we must admit we're slaves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/it-s-painful-fighting-for-freedom-freedom-has-demands-to-begin-we/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [Sometimes freedom demands a measure of sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-toole/sometimes-freedom-demands-a-measure-of-sacrifice/) [Erin O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-toole/) > [Freedom is our most precious commodity and if we are not eternally vigilant, government will take it all away. Individual freedom demands individual responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyn-nofziger/freedom-is-our-most-precious-commodity-and-if-we-are-not-eternally/) [Lyn Nofziger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyn-nofziger/) > [Such is the impurity of our enterprise, as writers or as critics, that even in the act of proclaiming our freedom from the demands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/such-is-the-impurity-of-our-enterprise-as-writers-or-as-critics-that/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [Inner freedom demands the rejection of any imposition that injures our dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fausto-cercignani/inner-freedom-demands-the-rejection-of-any-imposition-that-injures/) [Fausto Cercignani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fausto-cercignani/) > [“A truly shared kiss requires freedom and equality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-dubey/a-truly-shared-kiss-requires-freedom-and-equality/) [Rod Dubey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-dubey/) > [Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/freedom-requires-religion-just-as-religion-requires-freedom-freedom/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/freedom-requires-religion-just-as-religion-requires-freedom/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [The condition every art requires is, not so much freedom from restriction, as freedom from adulteration and from the intrusion of foreign matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-condition-every-art-requires-is-not-so-much-freedom-from/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [We believe that human happiness requires freedom and that freedom requires limited government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-murray/we-believe-that-human-happiness-requires-freedom-and-that-freedom/) [Charles A. Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-murray/) > [“A statue has stability. A living creature requires freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clockwork-angels/a-statue-has-stability-a-living-creature-requires-freedom/) [Clockwork Angels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clockwork-angels/) ## More by Jefferson Davis > [Butler is branded a felon, an outlaw, an enemy of Mankind, and so ordered that in the event of his capture, the officer in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/butler-is-branded-a-felon-an-outlaw-an-enemy-of-mankind-and-so/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Whether by the House or by the People, if an Abolitionist be chosen President of the United States, you will have presented to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/whether-by-the-house-or-by-the-people-if-an-abolitionist-be-chosen/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Without doing injustice to the living, it may safely be asserted that our loss is irreparable; and that among the shining hosts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/without-doing-injustice-to-the-living-it-may-safely-be-asserted-that/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [The Slave must be made fit for his freedom by education and discipline, and thus made unfit for slavery. And as soon as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/the-slave-must-be-made-fit-for-his-freedom-by-education-and/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [This war must go on till the last of this generation falls in his tracks, and his children seize his musket and fight our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/this-war-must-go-on-till-the-last-of-this-generation-falls-in-his/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [I will admit no bond that holds me to a party a day longer than I agree to its principles. When men meet together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/i-will-admit-no-bond-that-holds-me-to-a-party-a-day-longer-than-i/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [How idle is this prating about natural rights as though still containing all that had been forfeited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/how-idle-is-this-prating-about-natural-rights-as-though-still/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [To increase the power, develop the resources and promote the happiness of a Confederacy, it is requisite there should be so much of homogeneity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/to-increase-the-power-develop-the-resources-and-promote-the-happiness/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Our armies were in as much chaos in victory as theirs in defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/our-armies-were-in-as-much-chaos-in-victory-as-theirs-in-defeat/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [The authors of all our misfortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/the-authors-of-all-our-misfortune/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [God forbid that the day should ever come when to be true to my constituents is to be hostile to the Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/god-forbid-that-the-day-should-ever-come-when-to-be-true-to-my/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [For an enemy so relentless in the war for our subjugation, we could not be expected to mourn; yet, in view of its political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/for-an-enemy-so-relentless-in-the-war-for-our-subjugation-we-could/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish them at will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/governments-rest-on-the-consent-of-the-governed-and-that-it-is-the/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [My own convictions as to negro slavery are strong. It has its evils and abuses...We recognize the negro as God and God's Book and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/my-own-convictions-as-to-negro-slavery-are-strong-it-has-its-evils/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) > [Neither current events nor history show that the majority rule, or ever did rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/neither-current-events-nor-history-show-that-the-majority-rule-or/) [Jefferson Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) [Explore all 71 Jefferson Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Let men not ask what the law requires, but give whatever freedom demands.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jefferson Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-but-give-whatever-freedom/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-but-give-whatever-freedom/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/jefferson-davis-9399_asks_let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-bu_2737469.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/jefferson-davis-9399_asks_let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-bu_2737469.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/jefferson-davis-9399_asks_let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-bu_2737469.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let men not ask what the law requires, but give whatever freedom demands.” — Jefferson Davis", "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": "Jefferson Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Let men not ask what the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-but-give-whatever-freedom/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-davis/let-men-not-ask-what-the-law-requires-but-give-whatever-freedom/#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 } } ] } ```