Covered Quote by John Peter Altgeld
“The doctrine that might makes right has covered the earth with misery. While it crushes the weak, it also destroys the strong. Every deceit, every cruelty, every wrong, reaches back sooner or later and crushes its author. Justice is moral health, bringing happiness, wrong is moral disease, bringing mortal death.”
About This Quote
Power‑based morality breeds suffering; justice promotes health, while cruelty harms both victim and perpetrator.
In simple terms: Might makes right causes misery; justice heals.
Key Takeaway
Choose justice over domination.
Themes
ethics
justice
power dynamics
Mood
serious
hopeful
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- political leadership
- legal systems
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
social justice
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies enforce justice fairly?
- What personal actions reflect moral health?
A Different Perspective
Power can be justified by ideology.
![“By profession a biologist, [Thomas Henry Huxley] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences. Absolutely nothing was uninteresting to him. His curiosity ranged from music to theology and from philosophy to history. He didn't simply know something…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f46/h-l-mencken-245_absolutely-nothing_by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-h_5368.jpg)
