--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No law or ordinance is mightier than…" description: "\"No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.\" — Plato" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/plato-103_law_no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-und_778518.jpg" --- # No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding. ![“No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/plato-103_law_no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-und_778518.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/plato-103_law_no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-und_778518.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/plato-103_law_no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-und_778518.jpg) > “No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.” [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding surpasses law; wisdom is the strongest authority. **In simple terms:** Knowledge is more powerful than rules. Key Takeaway Seek deeper insight before imposing rules. Themes philosophy law wisdom Mood analytical reflective Type philosophical didactic When to use this quote - education reform - judicial decisions - leadership training Key Concepts ethical reasoning justice theory Questions to Reflect On - Can understanding replace all regulations? - How to cultivate wisdom in governance? A Different Perspective Legal systems still needed for order. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Ordinance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinance/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [Law; an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/law-an-ordinance-of-reason-for-the-common-good-made-by-him-who-has/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [The right to defy an unconstitutional statute is basic in our scheme. Even when an ordinance requires a permit to make a speech, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/the-right-to-defy-an-unconstitutional-statute-is-basic-in-our-scheme/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [I don't think one gets to choose the kind of comedy he/she does. I may not talk about Rahul Gandhi's take on an ordinance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vir-das/i-don-t-think-one-gets-to-choose-the-kind-of-comedy-he-she-does-i-may/) [Vir Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vir-das/) > [The ordinance of confirming a new member of the Church and bestowing the gift of the Holy Ghost is both simple and profound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/the-ordinance-of-confirming-a-new-member-of-the-church-and-bestowing/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [ \[God\] never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/god-never-will-institute-an-ordinance-or-give-a-commandment-to-his/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [Actions yield result by the ordinance of God as He wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/actions-yield-result-by-the-ordinance-of-god-as-he-wills/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [In Cyberspace, the First Amendment is a local ordinance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/in-cyberspace-the-first-amendment-is-a-local-ordinance/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [If men would as fervently seek after love and righteousness as they do after opinions, there would be no strife on earth, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/if-men-would-as-fervently-seek-after-love-and-righteousness-as-they/) [Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/) > [The saving ordinance of baptism must be administered by one who has proper authority from God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/the-saving-ordinance-of-baptism-must-be-administered-by-one-who-has/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [An oath, sir, is an end of all strife, and it is God's ordinance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hutchinson/an-oath-sir-is-an-end-of-all-strife-and-it-is-god-s-ordinance/) [Anne Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hutchinson/) > [Prayer is a specific divine appointment, an ordinance of Heaven, whereby God purposes to carry out His gracious designs on earth and to execute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/prayer-is-a-specific-divine-appointment-an-ordinance-of-heaven/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [Music is moral law. It is the essence of order and leads to all that is good, true and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/music-is-moral-law-it-is-the-essence-of-order-and-leads-to-all-that/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [All civilization in a sense exists only in the mind. Gunpowder, textile arts, machinery, laws, telephones are not themselves transmitted from man to man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-l-kroeber/all-civilization-in-a-sense-exists-only-in-the-mind-gunpowder-textile/) Alfred L. Kroeber > [Mindset changes are not happening from change in legislation. Like desegregation. We legally got rid of legal segregation, but schools are still segregated. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meier/mindset-changes-are-not-happening-from-change-in-legislation-like/) [Deborah Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meier/) > [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) ## More by Plato > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [You may be sure, dear Crito, that inaccurate language is not only in itself a mistake: it implants evil in men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-may-be-sure-dear-crito-that-inaccurate-language-is-not-only-in/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-men-learn-this-it-will-implant-forgetfulness-in-their-souls-they/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-do-not-think-it-is-permitted-that-a-better-man-be-harmed-by-a-worse/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-as-nobody-may-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“The love of man to woman is a thing common and of course, and at first partakes more of instinct and passion than of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-love-of-man-to-woman-is-a-thing-common-and-of-course-and-at-first/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“He was a wise man who invented God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-was-a-wise-man-who-invented-god/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [For let me tell you, that the more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-let-me-tell-you-that-the-more-the-pleasures-of-the-body-fade-away/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“What shall we say about those spectators, then, who can see a plurality of beautiful things, but not beauty itself, and who are incapable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/what-shall-we-say-about-those-spectators-then-who-can-see-a-plurality/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Geometry existed before creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/geometry-existed-before-creation/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so that nobody will believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-that-nobody-will-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [We must, if we are to be consistent, and if we re to have a real pedigree herd, mate the best of our men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/we-must-if-we-are-to-be-consistent-and-if-we-re-to-have-a-real/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) [Explore all 1,278 Plato quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More Law quotes > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [The law is like apparel, which alters with the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dodderidge/the-law-is-like-apparel-which-alters-with-the-time/) John Dodderidge > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Laws undertake to punish only overt acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laws-undertake-to-punish-only-overt-acts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Browse all 16,973 Law quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-understanding/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Law" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-understanding/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/plato-103_law_no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-und_778518.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/plato-103_law_no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-und_778518.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/plato-103_law_no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-und_778518.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.” — Plato", "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": "Plato", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No law or ordinance is mightier...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-understanding/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/no-law-or-ordinance-is-mightier-than-understanding/#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 } } ] } ```