Apartheid Quote by Walter E. Williams
“Legality alone is no guide for a moral people. There are many things in this world that have been, or are, legal but clearly immoral. Slavery was legal. Did that make it moral? South Africa’s apartheid, Nazi persecution of Jews, and Stalinist and Maoist purges were all legal, but did that make them moral?”
About This Quote
Source Book: The State and the Economy, Walter E. Williams, 1995
Legality does not equal morality; many legal actions are immoral.
In simple terms: Legal ≠ moral.
Key Takeaway
Judge actions by ethics, not law alone.
Themes
ethics
law
morality
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- policy analysis
- human rights advocacy
- education
- public debate
Key Concepts
Legalism
human rights
ethical standards
Questions to Reflect On
- When should laws be challenged?
- How to align law with morality?
A Different Perspective
Legal systems can be reformed over time.
![“We [ with Brian Mulroney and Rajiv Gandhi] went to the meeting in Canada [the 1987 Vancouver CHOGM] and I said to them there that sanctions weren't working; they were just being busted. And it did seem to me that one way that we could bring the apartheid regime down would be if we did mount an…” quote by Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/66c/bob-hawke-7891_apartheid_we-with-brian-mulroney-and-rajiv-gandhi_109260.jpg)
