--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no precept of the natural law…" description: "\"“There is no precept of the natural law commanding men to appropriate all things in such a way that each person is assigned his own separate portion......" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/peter-vallentyne-97054_common-property_there-is-no-precept-of-the-natural-law-c_3124556.jpg" --- # There is no precept of the natural law commanding men to… ![“There is no precept of the natural law commanding men to appropriate all things in such a way that each person is assigned his own separate portion...it nonetheless left it up to men's judgement whether to make all things proper or only certain ones, and whether to possess some things in common…” quote by Peter Vallentyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/peter-vallentyne-97054_common-property_there-is-no-precept-of-the-natural-law-c_3124556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/peter-vallentyne-97054_common-property_there-is-no-precept-of-the-natural-law-c_3124556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/peter-vallentyne-97054_common-property_there-is-no-precept-of-the-natural-law-c_3124556.jpg) > ““There is no precept of the natural law commanding men to appropriate all things in such a way that each person is assigned his own separate portion...it nonetheless left it up to men's judgement whether to make all things proper or only certain ones, and whether to possess some things in common while leaving the rest available to all, yet in such a way that no one could claim them for himself alone. And so the law of nature is understood to approve all agreements men have introduced concerning things, provided they do not involve a contradiction or disturb society.”” Peter Vallentyne ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Natural law allows flexible ownership, endorsing communal use unless it harms society or creates contradictions. **In simple terms:** Law permits shared ownership unless harmful. Key Takeaway Balance private and communal rights. Themes property law community ethics Mood analytical philosophical balanced Type Common-property:1 Community:1 Law of nature:1 Natural law:1 Nature:0 Ownership:1 Peace:0 Private property:1 Stability:0 Law Nature:0 Agreements Men:0 Men Judgement:0 Men Appropriate:0 When to use this quote - resource management - legal frameworks - social policy Key Concepts natural law social contract common good Questions to Reflect On - How should societies decide shared resources? - When does private ownership become unjust? A Different Perspective Complexities arise in defining “common”. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Law of nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-of-nature/) [Natural law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-law/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Ownership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ownership/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Private property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-property/) [Stability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stability/) ## Related quotes > [“What disturbs men's minds is not events but their judgements on events: For instance, death is nothing dreadful, or else Socrates would have thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/what-disturbs-men-s-minds-is-not-events-but-their-judgements-on/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“the greater the number of owners, the less the respect for common property. People are much more careful of their personal possessions than of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-greater-the-number-of-owners-the-less-the-respect-for-common/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“Naturally there was the notion of private property as a pragmatic concept, for individuals or groups have a proclivity to tend to their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/naturally-there-was-the-notion-of-private-property-as-a-pragmatic/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [It is a common law of nature, which no time will ever change, that superiors shall rule their inferiors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionysius-of-halicarnassus/it-is-a-common-law-of-nature-which-no-time-will-ever-change-that/) [Dionysius of Halicarnassus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionysius-of-halicarnassus/) > [Money never made any man rich, but his mind. He that can order himself to the law of nature, is not only without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/money-never-made-any-man-rich-but-his-mind-he-that-can-order-himself/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [“The evolution of higher and of lower forms of life is as well and as soundly established as the eternal hills. It has long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fairfield-osborn/the-evolution-of-higher-and-of-lower-forms-of-life-is-as-well-and-as/) [Henry Fairfield Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fairfield-osborn/) > [It seems like the first law of Nature is that everybody likes to receive things, but nobody likes to feel grateful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seems-like-the-first-law-of-nature-is-that-everybody-likes-to/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life; second, to liberty; third, to property; together with the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/among-the-natural-rights-of-the-colonists-are-these-first-a-right-to/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [“I grieved to think how brief the dream of the human intellect had been. It had committed suicide. It had set itself steadfastly towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/i-grieved-to-think-how-brief-the-dream-of-the-human-intellect-had/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [I can tell you for sure: people who are at their peak right now will not sustain that. You can't. It's against the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/i-can-tell-you-for-sure-people-who-are-at-their-peak-right-now-will/) [Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/) > [Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the law of revelation, depend all human laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/upon-these-two-foundations-the-law-of-nature-and-the-law-of/) [William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/) > [ \[The aim of science is\] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature. The task… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/the-aim-of-science-is-to-explain-what-so-far-has-taken-to-be-an/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“Remember that your dominating thoughts attract, through a definite law of nature, by the shortest and most convenient route, their physical counterpart. Be careful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/remember-that-your-dominating-thoughts-attract-through-a-definite-law/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [In the state of nature, wrong-doing is impossible; or, if anyone does wrong, it is to himself, not to another. For no one by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/in-the-state-of-nature-wrong-doing-is-impossible-or-if-anyone-does/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Peter Vallentyne > [“The claimed legitimizing devices of political consent or personal labour served only to obscure the unjustifiable seizure of land from the common by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-vallentyne/the-claimed-legitimizing-devices-of-political-consent-or-personal/) Peter Vallentyne Explore all 2 Peter Vallentyne quotes ## More Common-property quotes > [“Naturally there was the notion of private property as a pragmatic concept, for individuals or groups have a proclivity to tend to their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/naturally-there-was-the-notion-of-private-property-as-a-pragmatic/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“the greater the number of owners, the less the respect for common property. People are much more careful of their personal possessions than of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-greater-the-number-of-owners-the-less-the-respect-for-common/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) Browse all 3 Common-property quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is no precept of the natural law commanding men to appropriate all things in such a way that each person is assigned his own separate portion...it nonetheless left it up to men's judgement whether to make all things proper or only certain ones, and whether to possess some things in common while leaving the rest available to all, yet in such a way that no one could claim them for himself alone. 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