--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: necessity had no respect for law. Even…" description: "\"“necessity had no respect for law. Even custom must bow to it at times.”\" — S. M. Stirling" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/s-m-stirling-2-43806_law_necessity-had-no-respect-for-law-even-cu_588823.png" --- # necessity had no respect for law. Even custom must bow to… ![“necessity had no respect for law. Even custom must bow to it at times.” quote by S. M. Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/s-m-stirling-2-43806_law_necessity-had-no-respect-for-law-even-cu_588823.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/s-m-stirling-2-43806_law_necessity-had-no-respect-for-law-even-cu_588823.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca7/s-m-stirling-2-43806_law_necessity-had-no-respect-for-law-even-cu_588823.png) > ““necessity had no respect for law. Even custom must bow to it at times.”” [S. M. Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-stirling-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Necessity forces societies to bend or break legal norms. **In simple terms:** Need can override law. Key Takeaway Adapt laws to meet essential needs. Themes law necessity societal change Mood serious urgent reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - emergency response - technological innovation - social reform - business strategy Key Concepts legal theory ethical dilemmas Questions to Reflect On - When should law yield to necessity? - What safeguards prevent abuse? A Different Perspective Legal flexibility can undermine rights. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law Custom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-custom-1228140/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) [Necessity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessity/) [Necessity Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessity-respect-4823366/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Respect Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-law/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There is respect for law, and then there is complicity in lawlessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/there-is-respect-for-law-and-then-there-is-complicity-in-lawlessness/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The worst evil of disregard for some law is that it destroys respect for all law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-worst-evil-of-disregard-for-some-law-is-that-it-destroys-respect/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/if-we-desire-respect-for-the-law-we-must-first-make-the-law/) [Louis D. 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Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-stirling-2/) > [“remember that even if you intend to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-m-stirling-2/remember-that-even-if-you-intend-to-kill-a-man-it-costs-nothing-to-be/) [S. M. Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-stirling-2/) > [“Raptors like these falcons were solitary by nature; they didn’t even like each other except in the mating season, much less humans. All you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-m-stirling-2/raptors-like-these-falcons-were-solitary-by-nature-they-didn-t-even/) [S. M. Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-stirling-2/) > [“You can’t make a falcon love you, but you can convince its little bird brain that sitting on your glove means a full croup.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-m-stirling-2/you-can-t-make-a-falcon-love-you-but-you-can-convince-its-little-bird/) [S. M. 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Stirling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-stirling-2/) ## 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. 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