--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: but already there were so many laws that…" description: "\"“but already there were so many laws that a man was either a lawbreaker or a hypocrite.”\" — Theodore Wheeler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/theodore-wheeler-105807_hypocrite_but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that_2567634.jpg" --- # but already there were so many laws that a man was either… ![“but already there were so many laws that a man was either a lawbreaker or a hypocrite.” quote by Theodore Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/theodore-wheeler-105807_hypocrite_but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that_2567634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/theodore-wheeler-105807_hypocrite_but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that_2567634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/theodore-wheeler-105807_hypocrite_but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that_2567634.jpg) > ““but already there were so many laws that a man was either a lawbreaker or a hypocrite.”” [Theodore Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-wheeler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The abundance of laws forces individuals into a binary of either breaking them or pretending to be virtuous, highlighting moral tension. **In simple terms:** Too many laws create moral conflict. Key Takeaway Simplify rules to reduce hypocrisy. Themes law morality hypocrisy conflict choice Mood skeptical critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - courtroom - personal decision - social policy Key Concepts ethics legal theory human behavior Questions to Reflect On - What laws feel overly restrictive? - How can we balance law and moral integrity? A Different Perspective This view may ignore nuanced ethical reasoning beyond law. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hypocrite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrite/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Lawbreaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawbreaker-1479205/) [Lawbreaker Hypocrite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawbreaker-hypocrite-1662503/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) [Laws Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-man-1366432/) [Man Lawbreaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-lawbreaker-1662504/) ## Related quotes > [Laws are man-made! They can be faulty, they can be childish, they can be ridiculous, they can be silly and they can even be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/laws-are-man-made-they-can-be-faulty-they-can-be-childish-they-can-be/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [God's words first... obey God's law first before considering the laws of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/god-s-words-first-obey-god-s-law-first-before-considering-the-laws-of/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/to-make-laws-that-man-cannot-and-will-not-obey-serves-to-bring-all/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [“Behold the good and just! Whom do they hate most? The man who breaks their tables of values, the breaker, the lawbreaker:- yet he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/behold-the-good-and-just-whom-do-they-hate-most-the-man-who-breaks/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [So the lion is the law-breaker. Just as to the primitive man the lion is the lawbreaker, the great nuisance, dangerous to human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/so-the-lion-is-the-law-breaker-just-as-to-the-primitive-man-the-lion/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“As for peace, it was never free and laws were made to be broken. Peacemaker or lawbreaker, someone, somewhere always paid the price no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-mckevitt/as-for-peace-it-was-never-free-and-laws-were-made-to-be-broken/) [Virginia McKevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-mckevitt/) > [“Surely you couldn't be a good doctor and a terrible human being---surely the laws of man, if not God, didn't allow it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/surely-you-couldn-t-be-a-good-doctor-and-a-terrible-human-being/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [In seeking for justice men seek for the mean or neutral, for the law is the mean. Again, customary laws have more weight, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/in-seeking-for-justice-men-seek-for-the-mean-or-neutral-for-the-law/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [There's laws that we must live by, and they're not the laws of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogelberg/there-s-laws-that-we-must-live-by-and-they-re-not-the-laws-of-man/) [Dan Fogelberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogelberg/) > [The laws of God, the laws of man he may keep that will and can; not I: let God and man decree laws for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/the-laws-of-god-the-laws-of-man-he-may-keep-that-will-and-can-not-i/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) > [If laws were real they wouldn’t need to be enforced, because if they were real they couldn’t be broken. 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/) > [Nature secretly avenges herself for the constraint imposed upon her by the laws of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/nature-secretly-avenges-herself-for-the-constraint-imposed-upon-her/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [The laws of man may bind him in chains or may put him to death, but they never can make him wise, virtuous, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/the-laws-of-man-may-bind-him-in-chains-or-may-put-him-to-death-but/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The only laws a man can truly respect are the ones he makes for himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powell/the-only-laws-a-man-can-truly-respect-are-the-ones-he-makes-for/) [William Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powell/) > [We may avoid the laws of man, but there are greater laws that can't be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/we-may-avoid-the-laws-of-man-but-there-are-greater-laws-that-can-t-be/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) ## More by Theodore Wheeler > [“was easiest to believe this. Who wanted to accuse a girl of lying about a thing like that? And who was saying those things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-wheeler/was-easiest-to-believe-this-who-wanted-to-accuse-a-girl-of-lying/) [Theodore Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-wheeler/) [Explore all 2 Theodore Wheeler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-wheeler/) ## More Hypocrite quotes > [Those old hypocrites. They talk about killing witches but the Good Book’s full of magic. 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It is an acting of a part without being that person, really.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-charnock/without-the-heart-it-is-no-worship-it-is-a-stage-play-it-is-an-acting/) [Stephen Charnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-charnock/) > [ That's why we had Louis C.K. portray the harder line Communist, to accuse \[Dalton\] Trumbo of being a hypocrite. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/that-s-why-we-had-louis-c-k-portray-the-harder-line-communist-to/) [Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/) > [“If you wear a mask for too long, there will come a time when you can not remove it without removing your face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-wear-a-mask-for-too-long-there-will-come-a-time-when-you-can/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [I know that might sound perverse because I played Julian Assange but, honestly, I don't think it would be fair for me to judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-know-that-might-sound-perverse-because-i-played-julian-assange-but/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [It is not the being seen of men that is wrong, but doing these things for the purpose of being seen of men. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/it-is-not-the-being-seen-of-men-that-is-wrong-but-doing-these-things/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [“Sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a man who is in the process of changing…all things exist in three reallms, the phiysical, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/sometimes-a-hypocrite-is-nothing-more-than-a-man-who-is-in-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [A hypocrite is one who plays two parts consciously for his own ends. When we find fault with other people we may be quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/a-hypocrite-is-one-who-plays-two-parts-consciously-for-his-own-ends/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront us with the perplexity of radical evil; but only the hypocrite is really rotten to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/only-crime-and-the-criminal-it-is-true-confront-us-with-the/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [They's a heap more to God's will than death, disapoint-ment, and like thet. Hit's God's will for us to be good and do good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-ann-burns/they-s-a-heap-more-to-god-s-will-than-death-disapoint-ment-and-like/) [Olive Ann Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-ann-burns/) > [Without the heart it is no worship; it is a stage play; an acting a part without being that person really which is acted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-charnock/without-the-heart-it-is-no-worship-it-is-a-stage-play-an-acting-a/) [Stephen Charnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-charnock/) > [You have deep-seated survival anxieties. And you don't like bigots, bullies, snobs or hypocrites. Subconsciously there are many people you hate." "Consciously, sir, consciously,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/you-have-deep-seated-survival-anxieties-and-you-don-t-like-bigots/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [There are many who are lip servants but not life servants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jenkyn/there-are-many-who-are-lip-servants-but-not-life-servants/) [William Jenkyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jenkyn/) [Browse all 532 Hypocrite quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrite/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“but already there were so many laws that a man was either a lawbreaker or a hypocrite.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Theodore Wheeler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-wheeler/but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that-a-man-was-either-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hypocrite" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-wheeler/but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that-a-man-was-either-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/theodore-wheeler-105807_hypocrite_but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that_2567634.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/theodore-wheeler-105807_hypocrite_but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that_2567634.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/theodore-wheeler-105807_hypocrite_but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that_2567634.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“but already there were so many laws that a man was either a lawbreaker or a hypocrite.” — Theodore Wheeler", "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": "Theodore Wheeler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-wheeler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“but already there were so many...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-wheeler/but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that-a-man-was-either-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-wheeler/but-already-there-were-so-many-laws-that-a-man-was-either-a/#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 } } ] } ```