--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The entire fabric of civilization is held…" description: "\"“The entire fabric of civilization is held together by this one principle: we let the law determine justice, not an individual.”\" — Victor Methos" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/victor-methos-19546_integrity_the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-hel_1205860.jpg" --- # The entire fabric of civilization is held together by this… ![“The entire fabric of civilization is held together by this one principle: we let the law determine justice, not an individual.” quote by Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/victor-methos-19546_integrity_the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-hel_1205860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/victor-methos-19546_integrity_the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-hel_1205860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/victor-methos-19546_integrity_the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-hel_1205860.jpg) > ““The entire fabric of civilization is held together by this one principle: we let the law determine justice, not an individual.”” [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society relies on law to define justice rather than personal judgments. **In simple terms:** Law defines justice, not individuals. Key Takeaway Trust legal systems over personal bias. Themes law justice society Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - court decisions - policy making - community disputes Key Concepts legal theory collective morality institutional trust Questions to Reflect On - Should individuals intervene when law seems unjust? - How to balance personal ethics with legal obligations? A Different Perspective Law can be flawed and may not reflect moral truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle/) ## Related quotes > [Justice in the individual is now defined analogously to justice in the state. The individual is wise and brave in virtue of his reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/justice-in-the-individual-is-now-defined-analogously-to-justice-in/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“Civilization is held together by duct tape and spit, and I'm worried about the duct tape.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-patricks/civilization-is-held-together-by-duct-tape-and-spit-and-i-m-worried/) [Jacqueline Patricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-patricks/) > [This was life! Ah, how he loved it! Civilization held nothing like this in its narrow and circumscribed sphere, hemmed in by restrictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/this-was-life-ah-how-he-loved-it-civilization-held-nothing-like-this/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [Let no one charge me with ever having abused or encouraged weakness or surrendered on matters of principle. But I have said, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/let-no-one-charge-me-with-ever-having-abused-or-encouraged-weakness/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The value of a principle is the number of things it will explain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-value-of-a-principle-is-the-number-of-things-it-will-explain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Since evil is nothing positive, there can be no principle of evil. It has no meaning expect in reference to something good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/since-evil-is-nothing-positive-there-can-be-no-principle-of-evil-it/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [To put it another way, I believe that purpose and principle, clearly understood and articulated, and commonly shared, are the genetic code of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-hock/to-put-it-another-way-i-believe-that-purpose-and-principle-clearly/) [Dee Hock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-hock/) > [There is no principle worth the name if it is not wholly good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/there-is-no-principle-worth-the-name-if-it-is-not-wholly-good/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“As a principle-centered person, you see things differently. And because you see things differently, you think differently, you act differently. Because you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/as-a-principle-centered-person-you-see-things-differently-and-because/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [Sound moral principle is the only sure evidence of strength, the only firm foundation of greatness and perpetuity. Where this is lacking, no man's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-f-whitney/sound-moral-principle-is-the-only-sure-evidence-of-strength-the-only/) [Orson F. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-f-whitney/) > [I have lived my life according to this principle: If I'm afraid of it, then I must do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-have-lived-my-life-according-to-this-principle-if-i-m-afraid-of-it/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [The double law of attraction and radiation or of sympathy and antipathy, of fixedness and movement, which is the principle of Creation, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/the-double-law-of-attraction-and-radiation-or-of-sympathy-and/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [There is a principle which is the basis of things, which all speech aims to say, and all action to evolve, a simple, quiet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-a-principle-which-is-the-basis-of-things-which-all-speech/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Long ago made it a principle of my life to cultivate a positive frame of mind, to strive to project it and to share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/long-ago-made-it-a-principle-of-my-life-to-cultivate-a-positive-frame/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [Too much principle is often more harmful than too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/too-much-principle-is-often-more-harmful-than-too-little/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) ## More by Victor Methos > [“That’s the beauty of poetry,” I said. “That language is inadequate to describe life. So poetry just tries to bring up emotions. Just read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/that-s-the-beauty-of-poetry-i-said-that-language-is-inadequate-to/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“You’re too young to remember, but doctors used to smoke in hospitals. Sometimes, they’d recommend it to patients. You can still see the ashtrays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/you-re-too-young-to-remember-but-doctors-used-to-smoke-in-hospitals/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“Remember one thing above anything else: if you say something confidently enough, people will believe you. Even if you’re wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/remember-one-thing-above-anything-else-if-you-say-something/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“Hope was what was left in Pandora’s box. Maybe people’s lives aren’t meant to have hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/hope-was-what-was-left-in-pandora-s-box-maybe-people-s-lives-aren-t/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“Doctors possessed a built-in animosity toward attorneys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/doctors-possessed-a-built-in-animosity-toward-attorneys/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“Every dictator in history has made that same speech, Bob. Hitler thought he was fighting for the greater good, too. Isn’t it odd that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/every-dictator-in-history-has-made-that-same-speech-bob-hitler/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“If people gave as soon as they earned, it would keep them humble, as his mother had told him at least once a week.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/if-people-gave-as-soon-as-they-earned-it-would-keep-them-humble-as/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“Secrets had the power to make people stick together against the rest of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/secrets-had-the-power-to-make-people-stick-together-against-the-rest/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/think-of-the-earth-as-a-living-organism-that-is-being-attacked-by/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“The law is like a big rusty ship. You can’t change its course without nearly destroying the ship in the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/the-law-is-like-a-big-rusty-ship-you-can-t-change-its-course-without/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“gave another copy to the judge. It was a 12(b)(6)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/gave-another-copy-to-the-judge-it-was-a-12-b-6/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“Since I was a kid, I’d held an unshakeable belief that if a person wanted something bad enough, the universe would provide it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/since-i-was-a-kid-i-d-held-an-unshakeable-belief-that-if-a-person/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“I always looked at the grass in front of buildings. When a property was struggling, they cut the landscaping budget first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/i-always-looked-at-the-grass-in-front-of-buildings-when-a-property/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“I don’t think success or failure is the measure. It’s the trying. It’s doing your best to try and follow what you think is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/i-don-t-think-success-or-failure-is-the-measure-it-s-the-trying-it-s/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) > [“We’re told by this system that you are the car you drive or the size of your house or the number in your bank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/we-re-told-by-this-system-that-you-are-the-car-you-drive-or-the-size/) [Victor Methos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) [Explore all 31 Victor Methos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/) ## More Integrity quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [I can be taken away from myself quite easily, I kind of start betraying myself and compromising my integrity, to keep someone else happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lou-wood/i-can-be-taken-away-from-myself-quite-easily-i-kind-of-start/) [Aimee Lou Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lou-wood/) > [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [The Kennedys have always represented a certain royal quality, Camelot, and they represent a great deal of integrity and strength and perseverance; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-slater/the-kennedys-have-always-represented-a-certain-royal-quality-camelot/) [Christian Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-slater/) > [We want to promote the great quality of athletics - and maintain it's integrity - all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-juantorena/we-want-to-promote-the-great-quality-of-athletics-and-maintain-it-s/) [Alberto Juantorena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-juantorena/) > [A man should be upright, not kept upright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/a-man-should-be-upright-not-kept-upright/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Too much principle is often more harmful than too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/too-much-principle-is-often-more-harmful-than-too-little/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [The interesting thing is that everyone in golf is just nice. You learn a lot about people playing golf: their integrity, how they play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-interesting-thing-is-that-everyone-in-golf-is-just-nice-you-learn/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Don't worry so much about your self-esteem. Worry more about your character. Integrity is its own reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/don-t-worry-so-much-about-your-self-esteem-worry-more-about-your/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-family-remains-the-basic-unit-of-society-and-the-first-school-in/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“We should remark the grace and fascination that there is even in the incidentals of Nature's processes.. When a loaf of bread,. for instance,.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/we-should-remark-the-grace-and-fascination-that-there-is-even-in-the/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [The reason I do small, independent movies is because I want to keep my soul intact and maintain some kind of integrity within this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bell/the-reason-i-do-small-independent-movies-is-because-i-want-to-keep-my/) [Jamie Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bell/) > [The 'key-log' which must be moved to release the evolutionary process for an ethic is simply this: quit thinking about decent land-use as solely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/land-ethic/the-key-log-which-must-be-moved-to-release-the-evolutionary-process/) Land ethic [Browse all 4,810 Integrity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The entire fabric of civilization is held together by this one principle: we let the law determine justice, not an individual.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Victor Methos" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-held-together-by-this-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Integrity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-held-together-by-this-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/victor-methos-19546_integrity_the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-hel_1205860.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/victor-methos-19546_integrity_the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-hel_1205860.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/victor-methos-19546_integrity_the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-hel_1205860.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The entire fabric of civilization is held together by this one principle: we let the law determine justice…” — Victor Methos", "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": "Victor Methos", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-methos/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The entire fabric of civilization is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-held-together-by-this-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-methos/the-entire-fabric-of-civilization-is-held-together-by-this-one/#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 } } ] } ```