--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The safety of the state is the highest law." description: "\"The safety of the state is the highest law.\" — Justinian I" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6da/justinian-i-45127_government_the-safety-of-the-state-is-the-highest-l_3086829.jpg" --- # The safety of the state is the highest law. ![“The safety of the state is the highest law.” quote by Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6da/justinian-i-45127_government_the-safety-of-the-state-is-the-highest-l_3086829.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6da/justinian-i-45127_government_the-safety-of-the-state-is-the-highest-l_3086829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6da/justinian-i-45127_government_the-safety-of-the-state-is-the-highest-l_3086829.jpg) > “The safety of the state is the highest law.” [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The state's protection of its citizens is paramount, outweighing individual concerns. **In simple terms:** State safety outranks all. Key Takeaway Prioritize collective security. Themes law government security Mood serious reflective Type legal political When to use this quote - policy making - emergency response - national defense - civil rights Key Concepts political theory public welfare Questions to Reflect On - How should individual rights be balanced with state security? - What limits exist on state power? A Different Perspective May suppress personal freedoms if misapplied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) ## Related quotes > [My state has the highest child poverty rate in all of New England, above the national average.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-j-kennedy/my-state-has-the-highest-child-poverty-rate-in-all-of-new-england/) [Patrick J. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-j-kennedy/) > [Perhaps in a book review it is not out of place to note that the safety of the state depends on cultivating the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vizinczey/perhaps-in-a-book-review-it-is-not-out-of-place-to-note-that-the/) [Stephen Vizinczey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vizinczey/) > [Don't shrink from natures brutal perfection. Take joy in it. Embrace it. Understand it and revel in it. Respect it's strength, it's wisdom, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-rice/don-t-shrink-from-natures-brutal-perfection-take-joy-in-it-embrace-it/) [Boyd Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-rice/) > [The first and highest law must be the love of man to man. Homo homini Deus est - this is the supreme practical maxim,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/the-first-and-highest-law-must-be-the-love-of-man-to-man-homo-homini/) [Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/) > [“Don't shrink from nature's brutal perfection. Take joy in it. Embrace it. Understand it and revel in it. Respect its strength, its wisdom, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-rice/don-t-shrink-from-nature-s-brutal-perfection-take-joy-in-it-embrace/) [Boyd Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-rice/) > [One day the Constitution of Colorado is the highest law of the state. The next day it’s waste paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-williams/one-day-the-constitution-of-colorado-is-the-highest-law-of-the-state/) [Robert F. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-williams/) > [“The people have realized that Martial Law is not law. A regime not established by law is devoid of the attribute to dispense law.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zulfikar-ali-bhutto/the-people-have-realized-that-martial-law-is-not-law-a-regime-not/) [Zulfikar Ali Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zulfikar-ali-bhutto/) > [The highest law gives a thing to him who can use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-highest-law-gives-a-thing-to-him-who-can-use-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The safety of the people shall be the highest law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-safety-of-the-people-shall-be-the-highest-law/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“The welfare of the people is the highest law”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cicero/the-welfare-of-the-people-is-the-highest-law/) [Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cicero/) > [Do not talk to me of goodness, of abstract justice, of nature law. 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It is anchored in the very existential nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/whether-arrived-at-through-reason-or-revelation-natural-law-is-the/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) ## More by Justinian I > [Justice is the constant and eternal purpose that renders to each his due.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justinian-i/justice-is-the-constant-and-eternal-purpose-that-renders-to-each-his/) [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) > [Rather let the crime of the guilty go unpunished than condemn the innocent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justinian-i/rather-let-the-crime-of-the-guilty-go-unpunished-than-condemn-the/) [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) > [ If anyone assert the fabulous pre-existence of souls and shall submit to the monstrous doctrine that follows from it, let him be anathema \[excommunicated\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justinian-i/if-anyone-assert-the-fabulous-pre-existence-of-souls-and-shall-submit/) [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) > [Keep cool and you will command everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justinian-i/keep-cool-and-you-will-command-everyone/) [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) > [There are two great gifts which God, in his love for man, has granted from on high: the priesthood and the imperial dignity,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justinian-i/there-are-two-great-gifts-which-god-in-his-love-for-man-has-granted/) [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) > [If anything is due to a corporation, it is not due to the individual members thereof, nor do the members individually owe what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justinian-i/if-anything-is-due-to-a-corporation-it-is-not-due-to-the-individual/) [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) > [Frugality is the mother of all virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justinian-i/frugality-is-the-mother-of-all-virtues/) [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) > [Justice is the firm and continuous desire to render to everyone that which is his due.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justinian-i/justice-is-the-firm-and-continuous-desire-to-render-to-everyone-that/) [Justinian I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) [Explore all 9 Justinian I quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justinian-i/) ## More Government quotes > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. 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