Justice Quote by Jonathan Edwards
““Government is necessary to defend communities from miseries from within themselves; from the prevalence of intestine discord, mutual injustice and violence; the members of the society continually making a prey one of another, without any defence one from another.””
About This Quote
Source Treatise: The Freedom of the Will, 1745
Society needs government to protect citizens from internal conflicts, injustice, and violence that cause people to prey on each other.
In simple terms: Government protects against internal strife and injustice.
Key Takeaway
Support strong institutions to maintain social order.
Themes
government
justice
social order
community safety
Mood
serious
reflective
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
political
ethical
When to use this quote
- Legislative drafting
- community policing
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
social contract
collective security
ethical governance
Questions to Reflect On
- What role should individuals play in preventing societal discord?
- How can government balance protection with liberty?
A Different Perspective
Overreliance on government may suppress individual freedoms.
![“But it is doubtless true, and evident from [the] Scriptures, that the essence of all true religion lies in holy love; and that in this divine affection, and an habitual disposition to it, and that light which is the foundation of it, and those things which are the fruits of it, consists the whole…” quote by Jonathan Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2fd/jonathan-edwards-770_affection_but-it-is-doubtless-true-and-evident-fro_82879.jpg)
![“This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day [as a Fairfax Justice of the Peace] since I have been at Home. I wish I knew where to get a good one myself; for I find cold Sheets extreamly disagreeable.” quote by George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b92/george-mason-8435_bedfellows_this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young_3953.jpg)
