--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the worst things about breaking…" description: "\"One of the worst things about breaking the law is that it puts one at odds with an indeterminate number of other people. This is among the many corrosi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ff/sam-harris-457_behavior_one-of-the-worst-things-about-breaking-t_2731997.jpg" --- # One of the worst things about breaking the law is that it… ![“One of the worst things about breaking the law is that it puts one at odds with an indeterminate number of other people. This is among the many corrosive effects of having unjust laws: They tempt peaceful and (otherwise) honest people to lie so as to avoid being punished for behavior that is…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ff/sam-harris-457_behavior_one-of-the-worst-things-about-breaking-t_2731997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ff/sam-harris-457_behavior_one-of-the-worst-things-about-breaking-t_2731997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ff/sam-harris-457_behavior_one-of-the-worst-things-about-breaking-t_2731997.jpg) > “One of the worst things about breaking the law is that it puts one at odds with an indeterminate number of other people. This is among the many corrosive effects of having unjust laws: They tempt peaceful and (otherwise) honest people to lie so as to avoid being punished for behavior that is ethically blameless.” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unjust laws force honest people to lie, creating conflict with many others and eroding ethical behavior. **In simple terms:** Unjust laws push people to dishonesty. Key Takeaway Advocate for fair laws to preserve integrity. Themes justice ethics law Mood critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical political When to use this quote - legal reform - civil disobedience - community trust - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts social contract moral psychology Questions to Reflect On - What laws seem unjust in your society? - How can individuals resist pressure to lie? A Different Perspective Changing laws is complex and may face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Breaking the law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-the-law/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-people/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Odds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odds/) [Peaceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peaceful/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-lie/) [Unjust laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unjust-laws/) ## Related quotes > [When people are breaking the law, they don’t get an invitation to the White House. They ought to be getting an invitation to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/when-people-are-breaking-the-law-they-don-t-get-an-invitation-to-the/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [There are no consequences for Snowden breaking the law in Snowden's World. It's where his massively inflated ego dictates the rules and determines which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hoekstra/there-are-no-consequences-for-snowden-breaking-the-law-in-snowden-s/) [Pete Hoekstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hoekstra/) > [“Back to the land of freedom. Back to breaking the law with her sisters to make sure justice got served. God, just the thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fern-michaels/back-to-the-land-of-freedom-back-to-breaking-the-law-with-her-sisters/) [Fern Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fern-michaels/) > [“If you are breaking the law, it is better when someone other than the IRS finds out first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-chandel/if-you-are-breaking-the-law-it-is-better-when-someone-other-than-the/) Amit Chandel > [I want freedom and I realize that the only way to get it is to quit breaking the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-gilmore/i-want-freedom-and-i-realize-that-the-only-way-to-get-it-is-to-quit/) [Gary Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-gilmore/) > [After divorce of Pompeia in 62 BC I feel that members of my family should never be suspected of breaking the law. -Meos tam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/after-divorce-of-pompeia-in-62-bc-i-feel-that-members-of-my-family/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [“Idaville looked like many seaside towns on the outside. 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Try breaking the law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-rice/if-laws-were-real-they-wouldn-t-need-to-be-enforced-because-if-they/) [Boyd Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-rice/) > [I think that Donald Trump has been very clear on this. We're not going to have amnesty . What we're going to do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-think-that-donald-trump-has-been-very-clear-on-this-we-re-not-going/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. 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The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. 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And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Behavior quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [“We are endowed with genes which code out our reaction to beavers and otters, maybe our reaction to each other as well. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-endowed-with-genes-which-code-out-our-reaction-to-beavers-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You don't put milk in chamomile tea - that's disgusting behavior! 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