---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those terrifying verbal jungles called…"
description: "\"Those terrifying verbal jungles called laws are simply such directives, accumulated, codified, and systematized through the centuries.\" — S. I. Hayakawa"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/s-i-hayakawa-15018_century_those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-l_2007407.jpg"
---

#  Those terrifying verbal jungles called laws are simply…

![“Those terrifying verbal jungles called laws are simply such directives, accumulated, codified, and systematized through the centuries.” quote by S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/s-i-hayakawa-15018_century_those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-l_2007407.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/s-i-hayakawa-15018_century_those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-l_2007407.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/s-i-hayakawa-15018_century_those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-l_2007407.jpg)

> “Those terrifying verbal jungles called laws are simply such directives, accumulated, codified, and systematized through the centuries.”

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

## About This Quote

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

Laws are complex, accumulated directives that shape society over centuries.

**In simple terms:** Laws are layered, historic rules.

Key Takeaway

Understand law’s depth before judging.

Themes

law history communication

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- legal education
- civic engagement
- activism

Key Concepts

legal evolution semantic complexity social order

Questions to Reflect On

- How do laws reflect cultural change?
- What role does language play in law?

A Different Perspective

Complexity can obscure justice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Jungle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jungle/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/)

## Related quotes

> [“Aren’t all laws simply man’s attempt to codify moral concepts? Is not “legislation” simply our combined agreement as to what is “right” and “wrong”?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/aren-t-all-laws-simply-man-s-attempt-to-codify-moral-concepts-is-not/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [If we are to believe that our immigration laws simply have no value, as our current policies would have us believe, should we then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-linder/if-we-are-to-believe-that-our-immigration-laws-simply-have-no-value/)

[John Linder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-linder/)

> [There is no such thing as political science, but there are tenancies so strong that they might as well be called laws of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-greenfield/there-is-no-such-thing-as-political-science-but-there-are-tenancies/)

[Jeff Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-greenfield/)

> [There are certain laws which are involved in our actions and interactions. They are not human laws requiring lawyers to interpret or the police…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-bk-satyanarayan/there-are-certain-laws-which-are-involved-in-our-actions-and/)

[Dr BK Satyanarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-bk-satyanarayan/)

> [No duty, however, binds us to these so-called laws, whose corrupting influence menaces what is noblest in our being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-constant/no-duty-however-binds-us-to-these-so-called-laws-whose-corrupting/)

[Benjamin Constant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-constant/)

> [“Their greatest danger was in the disbelief of their teachers. Though every one had a copy of the law, few read it; all were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-david-wyss/their-greatest-danger-was-in-the-disbelief-of-their-teachers-though/)

[Johann David Wyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-david-wyss/)

> [“They had a lot of rules that got in the way," Kade said dismissively. "Those are called laws, Kade”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-snow/they-had-a-lot-of-rules-that-got-in-the-way-kade-said-dismissively/)

[Tiffany Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-snow/)

> [People who think of themselves as tough-minded and realistic, among them influential political leaders and businessmen as well as go-getters and hustlers of smaller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/people-who-think-of-themselves-as-tough-minded-and-realistic-among/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Wouldn't that be funny, if the oil rebels were playing U2 in their jungle camps, and the government soldiers were playing U2 in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/wouldn-t-that-be-funny-if-the-oil-rebels-were-playing-u2-in-their/)

[Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/)

> [For every one pupil who needs to be guarded against a weak excess of sensibility there are three who need to be awakened from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-every-one-pupil-who-needs-to-be-guarded-against-a-weak-excess-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [From the world wars of Europe to the jungles of the Far East, from the deserts of the Middle East to the African continent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hoeven/from-the-world-wars-of-europe-to-the-jungles-of-the-far-east-from-the/)

[John Hoeven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hoeven/)

> [Many of us, whether in the jungles of Asia or on the streets of Chicago, had discovered that noble causes can lead to ignoble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/many-of-us-whether-in-the-jungles-of-asia-or-on-the-streets-of/)

[Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/)

> [The only way to convert a heathen is to travel into the jungle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lane-kirkland/the-only-way-to-convert-a-heathen-is-to-travel-into-the-jungle/)

[Lane Kirkland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lane-kirkland/)

> [There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/there-is-no-royal-path-to-good-writing-and-such-paths-as-exist-do-not/)

[Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/)

> [My parents subscribed to both Time and Newsweek and in 1978, I remember the covers of both that December were of the bodies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-scheeres/my-parents-subscribed-to-both-time-and-newsweek-and-in-1978-i/)

[Julia Scheeres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-scheeres/)

## More by S. I. Hayakawa

> [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [It is the individual who knows how little they know about themselves who stands the most reasonable chance of finding out something about themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/it-is-the-individual-who-knows-how-little-they-know-about-themselves/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [So I will say it with relish. Give me a hamburger but hold the lawsuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/so-i-will-say-it-with-relish-give-me-a-hamburger-but-hold-the-lawsuit/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [How anybody dresses is indicative of his self-concept. If students are dirty and ragged, it indicates they are not interested in tidying up their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/how-anybody-dresses-is-indicative-of-his-self-concept-if-students-are/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Language is a unifying instrument which binds people together. When people speak one language they become as one, they become a society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/language-is-a-unifying-instrument-which-binds-people-together-when/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [The English Language Amendment says above all, 'Let's see to it that our children, our young people, learn English. Let us not deny them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-english-language-amendment-says-above-all-let-s-see-to-it-that/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [We live in a highly competitive society, each of us trying to outdo the other in wealth, in popularity or social prestige, in dress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/we-live-in-a-highly-competitive-society-each-of-us-trying-to-outdo/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [People who think of themselves as tough-minded and realistic, among them influential political leaders and businessmen as well as go-getters and hustlers of smaller…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/people-who-think-of-themselves-as-tough-minded-and-realistic-among/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [If everybody is rewarded just for being alive, you get the same sort of effect as you do when you reward every student just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/if-everybody-is-rewarded-just-for-being-alive-you-get-the-same-sort/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [The meanings of words are not in the words, they are in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-meanings-of-words-are-not-in-the-words-they-are-in-us/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [In the case of drama (stage, movies, television ), there appear to be people in almost every audience who never quite fully realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/in-the-case-of-drama-stage-movies-television-there-appear-to-be/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Good teachers never say anything. What they do is create the conditions under which learning takes place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/good-teachers-never-say-anything-what-they-do-is-create-the/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Agreement is brought about by changing people's minds - other people's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/agreement-is-brought-about-by-changing-people-s-minds-other-people-s/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Republicans are people who, if you were drowning 50 feet from shore, would throw you a 25-foot rope and tell you to swim the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/republicans-are-people-who-if-you-were-drowning-50-feet-from-shore/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [In a very real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/in-a-very-real-sense-people-who-have-read-good-literature-have-lived/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

[Explore all 44 S. I. Hayakawa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

## More Century quotes

> [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/)

[David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/)

[Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/)

> [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/)

[Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/)

> [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/)

[Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/)

> [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

Browse all 5,406 Century quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Those terrifying verbal jungles called laws are simply such directives, accumulated, codified, and systematized through the centuries.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "S. I. Hayakawa"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-laws-are-simply-such/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Century"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-laws-are-simply-such/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/s-i-hayakawa-15018_century_those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-l_2007407.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/s-i-hayakawa-15018_century_those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-l_2007407.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/s-i-hayakawa-15018_century_those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-l_2007407.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Those terrifying verbal jungles called laws are simply such directives, accumulated, codified, and…” — S. I. Hayakawa",
                "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": "S. I. Hayakawa",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Those terrifying verbal jungles called laws...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-laws-are-simply-such/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/those-terrifying-verbal-jungles-called-laws-are-simply-such/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
