---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a maxim among these lawyers, that…"
description: "\"It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done before, may legally be done again: and therefore they take special care to record all t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/jonathan-swift-433_care_it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-w_1938961.jpg"
---

#  It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been…

![“It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done before, may legally be done again: and therefore they take special care to record all the decisions formerly made against common justice and the general reason of mankind.” quote by Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/jonathan-swift-433_care_it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-w_1938961.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/jonathan-swift-433_care_it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-w_1938961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/jonathan-swift-433_care_it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-w_1938961.jpg)

> “It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done before, may legally be done again: and therefore they take special care to record all the decisions formerly made against common justice and the general reason of mankind.”

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote sat how lawyers often repeat past rulings, ignoring broader justice and humanity.

**In simple terms:** Lawyers repeat old decisions, ignoring fairness.

Key Takeaway

Question the precedent when it harms fairness.

Themes

law justice precedent humanity ethics

Mood

critical reflective

Type

cautionary philosophical

When to use this quote

- courtroom arguments
- policy drafting
- activist campaigning
- academic debate

Key Concepts

legalism institutional inertia critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we balance respect for precedent with moral progress?
- When should precedent be challenged?

A Different Perspective

Legal precedent can perpetuate injustice if unexamined.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-justice-1435318/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyers/) [Lawyers Hath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyers-hath-3078812/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Maxim Lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maxim-lawyers-3078814/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Record Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record-decisions-3078813/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/)

## Related quotes

> [“It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done before may legally be done again: and therefore they take special care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-whatever-hath-been-done-before-2/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Live and let live is the rule of common justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-l-estrange/live-and-let-live-is-the-rule-of-common-justice/)

[Roger L'Estrange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-l-estrange/)

> [We have sown a seed... Instead of a half-formed Europe, we have a Europe with a legal entity, with a single currency, common justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valery-giscard-d-estaing/we-have-sown-a-seed-instead-of-a-half-formed-europe-we-have-a-europe/)

[Valery Giscard d'Estaing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valery-giscard-d-estaing/)

> [“Realize that war is common and justice is strife, and that all things come into being and pass away through strife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/realize-that-war-is-common-and-justice-is-strife-and-that-all-things/)

[Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/)

> [Slavery naturally tends to destroy all sense of justice and equity. It puffs up the mind with pride: teaches youth a habit of looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rice/slavery-naturally-tends-to-destroy-all-sense-of-justice-and-equity-it/)

[David Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rice/)

> [I hope there are some who will brave ridicule for the sake of common justice to half the people in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-leigh-smith-bodichon/i-hope-there-are-some-who-will-brave-ridicule-for-the-sake-of-common/)

[Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-leigh-smith-bodichon/)

> [The proper and limited use of government is to invoke a common justice and keep the peace - and that is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/the-proper-and-limited-use-of-government-is-to-invoke-a-common/)

[Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/)

> ["Lawyers Are": Those whose interests and abilities lie in perverting, confounding and eluding the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/lawyers-are-those-whose-interests-and-abilities-lie-in-perverting/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [My lord, lawyers are a dangerous species of animals till ha'e any dependence upon--they are always starting punctilios and deeficulties among friends. Why, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-macklin/my-lord-lawyers-are-a-dangerous-species-of-animals-till-ha-e-any/)

[Charles Macklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-macklin/)

> [And, is not Virtue in Mankind The Nutriment that feeds the Mind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/and-is-not-virtue-in-mankind-the-nutriment-that-feeds-the-mind/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/)

[Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/)

> [“But they argued as lawyers do, they twisted every answer I gave until it sounded like the opposite meaning, and I became so confused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-parris/but-they-argued-as-lawyers-do-they-twisted-every-answer-i-gave-until/)

[S.J. Parris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-parris/)

> [I am so proud of Pakistanis and specifically of our lawyers for speaking out and getting their heads bashed in for a better Pakistan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asma-jahangir/i-am-so-proud-of-pakistanis-and-specifically-of-our-lawyers-for/)

[Asma Jahangir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asma-jahangir/)

> [I've been screwed by as many women as I have by men, in terms of lawyers. But lawyers don't count. If you take lawyers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-ve-been-screwed-by-as-many-women-as-i-have-by-men-in-terms-of/)

[Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/)

> [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More by Jonathan Swift

> [Time is painted with a lock before, and bald behind, signifying thereby that we must take time by the forelock; for, when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/time-is-painted-with-a-lock-before-and-bald-behind-signifying-thereby/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [“He said, he knew no reason why those who entertain opinions prejudicial to the public should be obliged to change, or should not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/he-said-he-knew-no-reason-why-those-who-entertain-opinions/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A favor is half granted, when graciously refused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-favor-is-half-granted-when-graciously-refused/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-never-wonder-to-see-men-wicked-but-i-often-wonder-to-see-them-not/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [The best Maxim I know in this life is, to drink your Coffee when you can, and when you cannot, to be easy without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/the-best-maxim-i-know-in-this-life-is-to-drink-your-coffee-when-you/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A lie is an excuse guarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-lie-is-an-excuse-guarded/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [A forward critic often dupes us With sham quotations peri hupsos, And if we have not read Longinus, Will magisterially outshine us. Then, lest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-forward-critic-often-dupes-us-with-sham-quotations-peri-hupsos-and/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [May you live every day of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/may-you-live-every-day-of-your-life/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Ale is meat, drink and cloth; it will make a cat speak and a wise man dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/ale-is-meat-drink-and-cloth-it-will-make-a-cat-speak-and-a-wise-man/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/all-fits-of-pleasure-are-balanced-by-an-equal-degree-of-pain-or/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [Satire is a sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/satire-is-a-sort-of-glass-wherein-beholders-do-generally-discover/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [“When a great genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign; that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/when-a-great-genius-appears-in-the-world-you-may-know-him-by-this/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities, and all my love is toward individuals: for instance, I hate the tribe of lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-have-ever-hated-all-nations-professions-and-communities-and-all-my/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

> [So endless and exorbitant are the desires of men that they will grasp at all, and can form no scheme of perfect happiness with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/so-endless-and-exorbitant-are-the-desires-of-men-that-they-will-grasp/)

[Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

[Explore all 535 Jonathan Swift quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/)

## More Care quotes

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/)

[Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/)

[James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

[Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done before, may legally be done again: and therefore they take special care to record all the decisions formerly made against common justice and the general reason of mankind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Swift"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-whatever-hath-been-done-before/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Care"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-whatever-hath-been-done-before/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/jonathan-swift-433_care_it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-w_1938961.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/jonathan-swift-433_care_it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-w_1938961.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/jonathan-swift-433_care_it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-w_1938961.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is a maxim among these lawyers, that whatever hath been done before, may legally be done again: and…” — Jonathan Swift",
                "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": "Jonathan Swift",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is a maxim among these...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-whatever-hath-been-done-before/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/it-is-a-maxim-among-these-lawyers-that-whatever-hath-been-done-before/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
