Add Quote by Lysander Spooner
“No man can delegate,... any right of arbitrary dominion over a 3rd person; for that would imply a right in the 1st person, not only to make the 3rd person his slave, but also a right to dispose of him as a slave to still other persons. Any contract to do this is necessarily a criminal one...To call such a contract a “constitution” does not at all lessen its criminality, or add to its validity.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: No Treason, 1865
The quote argues that any contract that gives one person power over another is inherently criminal, regardless of how it is labeled.
In simple terms: Contracts that enslave are criminal.
Key Takeaway
Reject such contracts.
Themes
rights
justice
slavery
law
ethics
Mood
critical
serious
Type
ethical
political
When to use this quote
- legal drafting
- human rights advocacy
- policy making
- education
- activism
Key Concepts
natural rights
contract law
criminality
Questions to Reflect On
- Is any agreement that strips another's autonomy ever just?
- How do we identify hidden coercion in legal language?
A Different Perspective
Even if called a constitution, the contract remains illegal.
![“That very document [Constitution] does little to serve people when Supreme Court decisions are written so that even high-priced lawyers can't figure them out.” quote by Mike DeWine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/745/mike-dewine-11601_constitution_that-very-document-constitution-does-lit_1443340.jpg)
![“The Constitution does not vest in Congress the authority to protect society from every bad act that might befall it…[I]f followed to its logical extreme, [this approach] would result in an unwarranted expansion of federal power.” quote by Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f68/clarence-thomas-7661_approach_the-constitution-does-not-vest-in-congre_86587.jpg)
