---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: More Yes. What would you do? Cut a great…"
description: "\"“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 (roused..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/robert-bolt-21488_quote_more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-r_329864.jpg"
---

#  More Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the…

![“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 (roused and excited) Oh? (Advances on Roper.) And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you where would you hide, Roper, the laws all…” quote by Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/robert-bolt-21488_quote_more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-r_329864.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/robert-bolt-21488_quote_more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-r_329864.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/robert-bolt-21488_quote_more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-r_329864.jpg)

> ““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 (roused and excited) Oh? (Advances on Roper.) And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? (Leaves him.) 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? (Quietly.) Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety’s sake.””

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker challenges the idea that eliminating all laws would protect against evil, suggesting that lawlessness creates chaos and vulnerability.

**In simple terms:** Removing laws doesn’t protect you from evil.

Key Takeaway

Don’t assume lawlessness is safety.

Themes

law ethics power consequences

Mood

tense thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical dialogue

When to use this quote

- political debate
- legal reform
- personal ethics
- risk assessment

Key Concepts

anarchism social order responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- What would replace order if all laws vanished?
- Can chaos be a better protector than law?

A Different Perspective

A world without laws may be more dangerous than the devil itself.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/william-roper-so-now-you-d-give-the-devil-benefit-of-law-thomas-more/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [Thomas More: ...And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned around on you--where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/thomas-more-and-when-the-last-law-was-down-and-the-devil-turned/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [“The currents and eddies of right and wrong, which you find such plain sailing, I can't navigate. I'm no voyager. But in the thickets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/the-currents-and-eddies-of-right-and-wrong-which-you-find-such-plain/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [And, Mr. Speaker, if the Governor and Council don't see fit to fall in with us, I say let the general duty law, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-gadsden/and-mr-speaker-if-the-governor-and-council-don-t-see-fit-to-fall-in/)

[Christopher Gadsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-gadsden/)

> [The law of England is a law of liberty .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-law-1st-earl-of-ellenborough/the-law-of-england-is-a-law-of-liberty/)

[Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-law-1st-earl-of-ellenborough/)

> [The law of England is much more severe upon offences against property than against the person, as becomes a people whose ruling passion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/the-law-of-england-is-much-more-severe-upon-offences-against-property/)

[H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/)

> [“If there is an injustice or a barbarity possible, I might have been sure the law of England would make haste to perpetrate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-allen/if-there-is-an-injustice-or-a-barbarity-possible-i-might-have-been/)

[Grant Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-allen/)

> [The truth is, one can work for another ten years and be playing parts, pushing yourself as hard as you can, and you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/the-truth-is-one-can-work-for-another-ten-years-and-be-playing-parts/)

[Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/)

> [The Common Law of England has been laboriously built about a mythical figure-the figure of 'The Reasonable Man'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/the-common-law-of-england-has-been-laboriously-built-about-a-mythical/)

[A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/)

> [“Normandy became an appendix to England, the nobler dominion, and received a greater conformity of their laws to the English, that they gave to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/normandy-became-an-appendix-to-england-the-nobler-dominion-and/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [Judged by the law of England, I know this crime entails upon me the penalty of death; but the history of Ireland explains that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-francis-meagher/judged-by-the-law-of-england-i-know-this-crime-entails-upon-me-the/)

[Thomas Francis Meagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-francis-meagher/)

> [Christianity is part of the Common Law of England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-hale/christianity-is-part-of-the-common-law-of-england/)

[Matthew Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-hale/)

> [No one familiar with the common law of England can read the Constitution of the United States without observing the great desire of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-freeman-miller/no-one-familiar-with-the-common-law-of-england-can-read-the/)

[Samuel Freeman Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-freeman-miller/)

> [“You mean that a Frenchman could share with a friend and yet not go to prison?’ ‘Share? Do you mean unite? If both are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/you-mean-that-a-frenchman-could-share-with-a-friend-and-yet-not-go-to/)

[E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/)

> [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/)

[Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/)

## More by Robert Bolt

> [When a man takes an oath... he's holding his own self in his own hands. Like water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/when-a-man-takes-an-oath-he-s-holding-his-own-self-in-his-own-hands/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [If we lived in a State where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us good, and greed would make us saintly. And we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/if-we-lived-in-a-state-where-virtue-was-profitable-common-sense-would/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [“My master Thomas More would give anything to anyone. Some say that’s good and some say that’s bad, but I say he can’t help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/my-master-thomas-more-would-give-anything-to-anyone-some-say-that-s/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [“Have patience, Margaret, and trouble not thyself. Death comes for us all; even at our birth—death does but stand aside a little. And every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/have-patience-margaret-and-trouble-not-thyself-death-comes-for-us-all/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [“The nobility of England would have snored through the Sermon on the Mount. But you'll labor like scholars over a bulldog's pedigree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/the-nobility-of-england-would-have-snored-through-the-sermon-on-the/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [ This account of him \[Thomas More\] developed as I wrote: what first attracted me was a person who could not be accused of any… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/this-account-of-him-thomas-more-developed-as-i-wrote-what-first/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [Doin' nothing's a dangerous occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/doin-nothing-s-a-dangerous-occupation/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [“The currents and eddies of right and wrong, which you find such plain sailing, I can't navigate. I'm no voyager. But in the thickets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/the-currents-and-eddies-of-right-and-wrong-which-you-find-such-plain/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [“RICH I’m lamenting. I’ve lost my innocence. CROMWELL You lost that some time ago. If you’ve only just noticed, it can’t have been very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/rich-i-m-lamenting-i-ve-lost-my-innocence-cromwell-you-lost-that-some/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [I'm breathing . . . are you breathing too? It's nice, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/i-m-breathing-are-you-breathing-too-it-s-nice-isn-t-it/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [Even at our birth, death does but stand aside a little. And every day he looks toward us and muses somewhat to himself whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/even-at-our-birth-death-does-but-stand-aside-a-little-and-every-day/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [Some men think the Earth is round, others think it flat; it is a matter capable of question. But, if it is flat, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/some-men-think-the-earth-is-round-others-think-it-flat-it-is-a-matter/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [“Lord, grant us rest tonight, and if we must be wakeful, cheerful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/lord-grant-us-rest-tonight-and-if-we-must-be-wakeful-cheerful/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [“Alice More: As for understanding, I understand that you are the best man that I ever met, or am likely to; And, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/alice-more-as-for-understanding-i-understand-that-you-are-the-best/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [Good marriages are made in heaven. Or some such place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/good-marriages-are-made-in-heaven-or-some-such-place/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

[Explore all 29 Robert Bolt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

## More Law England quotes

> [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/)

[Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/)

> [“You mean that a Frenchman could share with a friend and yet not go to prison?’ ‘Share? Do you mean unite? If both are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/you-mean-that-a-frenchman-could-share-with-a-friend-and-yet-not-go-to/)

[E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/)

> [No one familiar with the common law of England can read the Constitution of the United States without observing the great desire of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-freeman-miller/no-one-familiar-with-the-common-law-of-england-can-read-the/)

[Samuel Freeman Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-freeman-miller/)

> [Christianity is part of the Common Law of England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-hale/christianity-is-part-of-the-common-law-of-england/)

[Matthew Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-hale/)

> [Judged by the law of England, I know this crime entails upon me the penalty of death; but the history of Ireland explains that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-francis-meagher/judged-by-the-law-of-england-i-know-this-crime-entails-upon-me-the/)

[Thomas Francis Meagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-francis-meagher/)

> [“Normandy became an appendix to England, the nobler dominion, and received a greater conformity of their laws to the English, that they gave to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/normandy-became-an-appendix-to-england-the-nobler-dominion-and/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The Common Law of England has been laboriously built about a mythical figure-the figure of 'The Reasonable Man'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/the-common-law-of-england-has-been-laboriously-built-about-a-mythical/)

[A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/)

> [The truth is, one can work for another ten years and be playing parts, pushing yourself as hard as you can, and you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/the-truth-is-one-can-work-for-another-ten-years-and-be-playing-parts/)

[Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/)

> [“If there is an injustice or a barbarity possible, I might have been sure the law of England would make haste to perpetrate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-allen/if-there-is-an-injustice-or-a-barbarity-possible-i-might-have-been/)

[Grant Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-allen/)

> [The law of England is much more severe upon offences against property than against the person, as becomes a people whose ruling passion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/the-law-of-england-is-much-more-severe-upon-offences-against-property/)

[H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/)

> [The law of England is a law of liberty .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-law-1st-earl-of-ellenborough/the-law-of-england-is-a-law-of-liberty/)

[Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-law-1st-earl-of-ellenborough/)

> [The Bible has always been regarded as part of the Common Law of England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/the-bible-has-always-been-regarded-as-part-of-the-common-law-of/)

[William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/)

> [The love of independence is a sentiment that surely none would wish to see erased from the breast of man, though the parish law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-malthus/the-love-of-independence-is-a-sentiment-that-surely-none-would-wish/)

[Thomas Malthus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-malthus/)

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/william-roper-so-now-you-d-give-the-devil-benefit-of-law-thomas-more/)

[Robert Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/)

> [The law of England is a very strange one; it cannot compel anyone to tell the truth. . . . But what the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darling-1st-baron-darling/the-law-of-england-is-a-very-strange-one-it-cannot-compel-anyone-to/)

[Charles Darling, 1st Baron Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darling-1st-baron-darling/)

Browse all 19 Law England quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“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 (roused and excited) Oh? (Advances on Roper.) And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? (Leaves him.) 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? (Quietly.) Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety’s sake.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Bolt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-road-through-the-law-to-get/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Law England"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-road-through-the-law-to-get/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/robert-bolt-21488_quote_more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-r_329864.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/robert-bolt-21488_quote_more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-r_329864.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aae/robert-bolt-21488_quote_more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-r_329864.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“More Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil? Roper I’d cut down…” — Robert Bolt",
                "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": "Robert Bolt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bolt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“More Yes. What would you do?...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-road-through-the-law-to-get/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bolt/more-yes-what-would-you-do-cut-a-great-road-through-the-law-to-get/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
