Law England Quote by Robert Bolt
““WILLIAM ROPER: So now you'd give the Devil benefit of law! THOMAS MORE: Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil? ROPER: I'd cut down every law in England to do that! MORE: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you -where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country's planted thick with laws from coast to coast -man's laws, not God's -and if you cut them down- and you're just the man to do it -d'you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil the benefit of the law, for my own safety's sake.””
About This Quote
Source Play: A Man for All Seasons, 1960
Cutting all laws to outwit evil would leave society vulnerable, exposing the cutter to the very threat they tried to avoid.
In simple terms: Removing all rules to defeat a foe makes you defenseless against that foe.
Key Takeaway
Consider the balance between law and freedom.
Themes
law
ethics
power
freedom
consequences
Mood
cautious
critical
Type
philosophical
dialogue
When to use this quote
- legal reform
- political activism
- ethical decision‑making
- government policy
Key Concepts
political philosophy
morality
social contract
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards remain when laws are stripped away?
- Can moral authority replace legal authority?
A Different Perspective
A lawless world may breed chaos, not safety.
![“This account of him [Thomas More] developed as I wrote: what first attracted me was a person who could not be accused of any incapacity for life, who indeed seized life in great variety and almost greedy quantities, who nevertheless found something in himself without which life was valueless and…” quote by Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e50/robert-bolt-21488_able_this-account-of-him-thomas-more-develope_749259.jpg)
