--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Law is nothing other than a certain…" description: "\"Law is nothing other than a certain ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the person who has the care of the community.\" — Thomas Aqu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/thomas-aquinas-837_common-good_law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordi_530671.jpg" --- # Law is nothing other than a certain ordinance of reason… ![“Law is nothing other than a certain ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the person who has the care of the community.” quote by Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/thomas-aquinas-837_common-good_law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordi_530671.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/thomas-aquinas-837_common-good_law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordi_530671.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/thomas-aquinas-837_common-good_law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordi_530671.jpg) > “Law is nothing other than a certain ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the person who has the care of the community.” [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Law is a rational rule aimed at the common good, established by those responsible for society. **In simple terms:** Law is rational rule for common good set by leaders. Key Takeaway Follow rational, community‑focused rules. Themes law reason common good authority Mood reflective serious Type ethical political philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - community governance - judicial decisions - public administration Key Concepts natural law political philosophy social contract Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure laws reflect true common good? - What safeguards prevent misuse of authority? A Different Perspective Law may be misapplied when leaders lack virtue or accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-good/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [Law; an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/law-an-ordinance-of-reason-for-the-common-good-made-by-him-who-has/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“To undertake nothing: i. at random or without a purpose; ii. for any reason but the common good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/to-undertake-nothing-i-at-random-or-without-a-purpose-ii-for-any/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [ \[W\]here there is no law, there is no liberty; and nothing deserves the name of law but that which is certain and universal in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-rush/w-here-there-is-no-law-there-is-no-liberty-and-nothing-deserves-the/) [Benjamin Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-rush/) > [In law, nothing is certain but the expense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/in-law-nothing-is-certain-but-the-expense/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [It is better that the law should be certain than that every judge should speculate upon improvements in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-falcon-scott/it-is-better-that-the-law-should-be-certain-than-that-every-judge/) [Robert Falcon Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-falcon-scott/) > [Engaging in actions which are not allowed by law should have certain prices to pay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/recep-tayyip-erdogan/engaging-in-actions-which-are-not-allowed-by-law-should-have-certain/) [Recep Tayyip Erdogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/recep-tayyip-erdogan/) > [Every foreign policy of every major nation involves reason, common sense, carrots and sticks. You can't have all carrots and no sticks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/every-foreign-policy-of-every-major-nation-involves-reason-common/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [Truth and reason are common to everyone, and are no more his who spake them first than his who speaks them after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/truth-and-reason-are-common-to-everyone-and-are-no-more-his-who-spake/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The free system of government we have established is so congenial with reason, with common sense, and with a universal feeling, that it must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-free-system-of-government-we-have-established-is-so-congenial/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Every art, and every science reduced to a teachable form, and in like manner every action and moral choice, aims, it is thought, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/every-art-and-every-science-reduced-to-a-teachable-form-and-in-like/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-can-be-more-contrary-to-religion-and-the-clergy-than-reason/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For the will, as that which is common to all, is for that reason also common: consequently, every vehement emergence of will is common,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/for-the-will-as-that-which-is-common-to-all-is-for-that-reason-also/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Advocacy groups, politicians, and bureaucrats use the government to advance their private good instead of the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-miller/advocacy-groups-politicians-and-bureaucrats-use-the-government-to/) [Joel Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-miller/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) ## More by Thomas Aquinas > [Grace does not destroy nature, it perfects it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/grace-does-not-destroy-nature-it-perfects-it/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Justice is in subjects as well as in rulers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/justice-is-in-subjects-as-well-as-in-rulers/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“A capacity as such is directed to an act. Wherefore we seek to know the nature of a capacity from the act to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/a-capacity-as-such-is-directed-to-an-act-wherefore-we-seek-to-know/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“Yet no-one can say that God has not a Word, for it would follow that God is most foolish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/yet-no-one-can-say-that-god-has-not-a-word-for-it-would-follow-that/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Unbelief is the greatest of sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/unbelief-is-the-greatest-of-sins/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [If forgers and malefactors are put to death by the secular power, there is much more reason for excommunicating and even putting to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/if-forgers-and-malefactors-are-put-to-death-by-the-secular-power/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [When fear is excessive it can make many a man despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/when-fear-is-excessive-it-can-make-many-a-man-despair/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Now, nothing can be brought from potentiality to actual existence except through something actually existing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/now-nothing-can-be-brought-from-potentiality-to-actual-existence/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [To convert somebody go and take them by the hand and guide them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/to-convert-somebody-go-and-take-them-by-the-hand-and-guide-them/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [ By the divine providence \[animals\] are intended for man's use... Hence it is not wrong for man to make use of them, either by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/by-the-divine-providence-animals-are-intended-for-man-s-use-hence-it/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“What causes love, since it is a passion, is its object; and since it is a sort of affinity or agreement with the object,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/what-causes-love-since-it-is-a-passion-is-its-object-and-since-it-is/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [The image of God always abides in the soul, whether this image be obsolete and clouded over as to amount to almost nothing; or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/the-image-of-god-always-abides-in-the-soul-whether-this-image-be/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Charity, by which God and neighbor are loved, is the most perfect friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/charity-by-which-god-and-neighbor-are-loved-is-the-most-perfect/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [Beauty adds to goodness a relation to the cognitive faculty: so that "good" means that which simply pleases the appetite; while the "beautiful" is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/beauty-adds-to-goodness-a-relation-to-the-cognitive-faculty-so-that/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“God is not, like creatures, made up of parts. God is spirit, without bodily dimensions. Firstly, no body can cause change without itself being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/god-is-not-like-creatures-made-up-of-parts-god-is-spirit-without/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) [Explore all 357 Thomas Aquinas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) ## More Common good quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Advocacy groups, politicians, and bureaucrats use the government to advance their private good instead of the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-miller/advocacy-groups-politicians-and-bureaucrats-use-the-government-to/) [Joel Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-miller/) > [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“Markets do not automatically generate trust, cooperation or collective action for the common good. Quite the contrary: it is in the nature of economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/markets-do-not-automatically-generate-trust-cooperation-or-collective/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [Set goals - high goals for you and your organization. When your organization has a goal to shoot for, you create teamwork, people working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-bryant/set-goals-high-goals-for-you-and-your-organization-when-your/) [Bear Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-bryant/) > [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. At his first coming, he saved us from the penalty of sin and gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-coming-of-the-messianic-king-occurs-in-two-stages-at-his-first/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [The original Greek word "idiotes" referred to people who might have had a high IQ, but were so self-involved that they focused exclusively on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/the-original-greek-word-idiotes-referred-to-people-who-might-have-had/) [Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/) > [People who reject transcendent authority can no longer persuade one another through rational arguments; everything is reduced to personal opinion. Debates about ideas thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-colson/people-who-reject-transcendent-authority-can-no-longer-persuade-one/) [Charles Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-colson/) > [I am a strong believer in the free market. I am a strong believer in capitalism. But, I am also a strong believer that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-am-a-strong-believer-in-the-free-market-i-am-a-strong-believer-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Leadership: The skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hunter/leadership-the-skill-of-influencing-people-to-work-enthusiastically/) [James Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hunter/) > [“Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity and happiness of the people; and not for the profit, honor, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/government-is-instituted-for-the-common-good-for-the-protection/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [When it all boils down, its about embracing each others stories and maybe even finding that synergy to collaborate for the common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhani-jones/when-it-all-boils-down-its-about-embracing-each-others-stories-and/) [Dhani Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhani-jones/) > [Even the best weapon is an unhappy tool, hateful to living things. So the follower of the Way stays away from it. Weapons are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/even-the-best-weapon-is-an-unhappy-tool-hateful-to-living-things-so/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Throughout the 1980's, we did hear too much about individual gain and the ethos of selfishness and greed. We did not hear enough a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/throughout-the-1980-s-we-did-hear-too-much-about-individual-gain-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 375 Common good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Law is nothing other than a certain ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the person who has the care of the community.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Aquinas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordinance-of-reason-for-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Common good" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordinance-of-reason-for-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/thomas-aquinas-837_common-good_law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordi_530671.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/thomas-aquinas-837_common-good_law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordi_530671.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/thomas-aquinas-837_common-good_law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordi_530671.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Law is nothing other than a certain ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the person who…” — Thomas Aquinas", "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": "Thomas Aquinas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Law is nothing other than a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordinance-of-reason-for-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/law-is-nothing-other-than-a-certain-ordinance-of-reason-for-the/#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 } } ] } ```