--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not everything that is legal is reputable." description: "\"Not everything that is legal is reputable.\" — William F. Buckley, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_law_not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputabl_319321.png" --- # Not everything that is legal is reputable. ![“Not everything that is legal is reputable.” quote by William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_law_not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputabl_319321.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_law_not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputabl_319321.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_law_not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputabl_319321.png) > “Not everything that is legal is reputable.” [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Legal actions aren't always respectable; legality doesn't guarantee moral integrity. **In simple terms:** Legal ≠ ethical. Key Takeaway Judge actions by ethics, not just law. Themes ethics law reputation Mood serious thoughtful Type ethical political When to use this quote - business decisions - political policies - personal conduct Key Concepts moral philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - When should you oppose a legal but unethical practice? - How do you reconcile legal compliance with personal morals? A Different Perspective Legal systems can be flawed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) ## Related quotes > [“Free is he who is reputable for not being fearful of losing his reputation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/free-is-he-who-is-reputable-for-not-being-fearful-of-losing-his/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [My comments are reserved for reputable journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/my-comments-are-reserved-for-reputable-journalists/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [“Yes. I much prefer it here. So much less reputable, so much more fraught.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/yes-i-much-prefer-it-here-so-much-less-reputable-so-much-more-fraught/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Any new legal measures, or cooperative arrangements between government and companies meant to keep people from organizing violence or criminal actions, must not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/any-new-legal-measures-or-cooperative-arrangements-between-government/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Technology is making it easier for women to connect to business opportunities around the world. Legal obstacles must not be allowed to stand in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arancha-gonzalez/technology-is-making-it-easier-for-women-to-connect-to-business/) [Arancha Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arancha-gonzalez/) > [Common sense often makes good law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/common-sense-often-makes-good-law/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [It always rankled me - in law school and the legal profession - when lawyers would speak to each other in their own exclusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/it-always-rankled-me-in-law-school-and-the-legal-profession-when/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [“Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) is largely an interrogation agency for whistle-blowers that extracts their full range of knowledge without upholding their legal rights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/occupational-safety-health-administration-osha-is-largely-an/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Slavery, if it can be legalized at all, can be legalized only by positive legislation. Natural law gives it no aid. Custom imparts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/slavery-if-it-can-be-legalized-at-all-can-be-legalized-only-by/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [“Whatever happened in those more than one hundred years, from the time my great-great-great grandfather studied law to the time when my own father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwenn-wright/whatever-happened-in-those-more-than-one-hundred-years-from-the-time/) [Gwenn Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwenn-wright/) > [I'm an immigrant, a legal immigrant to the United States. I only became a citizen five years ago. Every day, for seven months, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-gorka/i-m-an-immigrant-a-legal-immigrant-to-the-united-states-i-only-became/) [Sebastian Gorka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-gorka/) > [You are innocent until proven guilty. And if folks have come forward, whether it is judge Roy Moore or whether it is anyone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rosendale/you-are-innocent-until-proven-guilty-and-if-folks-have-come-forward/) [Matt Rosendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rosendale/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [“You don’t look like much, but they say you murdered that other chick.” Treating Murder”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-black/you-don-t-look-like-much-but-they-say-you-murdered-that-other-chick/) Gabrielle Black > [Public confidence in, and support for, the euro - and, indeed, the European Union - will ultimately be determined by how well we deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/public-confidence-in-and-support-for-the-euro-and-indeed-the-european/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) ## More by William F. Buckley, Jr > [Louis Kelso of San Francisco, a lawyer-economist, has for years felt that he has a radical answer to the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/louis-kelso-of-san-francisco-a-lawyer-economist-has-for-years-felt/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [As a businessman, Frank Lorenzo gives capitalism a bad name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/as-a-businessman-frank-lorenzo-gives-capitalism-a-bad-name/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [The Beatles are not merely awful. I would consider it sacrilegious to say anything less than that they are godawful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-beatles-are-not-merely-awful-i-would-consider-it-sacrilegious-to/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [What yells out at the US public . . . is the incandescent hypocrisy of so many people who, in the name of free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/what-yells-out-at-the-us-public-is-the-incandescent-hypocrisy-of-so/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Those who suffer from the abuse of drugs have themselves to blame for it. This does not mean that society is absolved from active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/those-who-suffer-from-the-abuse-of-drugs-have-themselves-to-blame-for/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Industry is the enemy of melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/industry-is-the-enemy-of-melancholy/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-best-defense-against-usurpatory-government-is-an-assertive/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Knee-jerk liberals and all the certified saints of sanctified humanism are quick to condemn this great and much-maligned Transylvanian statesman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/knee-jerk-liberals-and-all-the-certified-saints-of-sanctified/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [We love your adherence to democratic principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/we-love-your-adherence-to-democratic-principles/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Only government can cause inflation, preserve monopoly, and punish enterprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/only-government-can-cause-inflation-preserve-monopoly-and-punish/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [The principal sponsors of the terrorists are not religious fanatics. "Palestine's Yasser Arafat, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, and Syria's Assad family have made themselves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/the-principal-sponsors-of-the-terrorists-are-not-religious-fanatics/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Marijuana is not much more difficult to obtain than beer. The reason for this is that a liquor store selling beer to a minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/marijuana-is-not-much-more-difficult-to-obtain-than-beer-the-reason/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed - different plans have to be made. And the kernel here is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/one-can-t-doubt-that-the-american-objective-in-iraq-has-failed/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [If you had a European prime minister who experienced what we've experienced it would be expected that he would retire or resign,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/if-you-had-a-european-prime-minister-who-experienced-what-we-ve/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [I would rather be governed by the first 2000 people in the Manhattan phone book than the entire faculty of Harvard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/i-would-rather-be-governed-by-the-first-2000-people-in-the-manhattan/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) [Explore all 120 William F. Buckley, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) ## More Law quotes > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/) [Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/) > [The law is like apparel, which alters with the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dodderidge/the-law-is-like-apparel-which-alters-with-the-time/) John Dodderidge > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Laws undertake to punish only overt acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laws-undertake-to-punish-only-overt-acts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Browse all 16,973 Law quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Not everything that is legal is reputable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William F. Buckley, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Law" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_law_not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputabl_319321.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_law_not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputabl_319321.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/william-f-buckley-jr-3870_law_not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputabl_319321.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not everything that is legal is reputable.” — William F. Buckley, Jr", "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": "William F. Buckley, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Not everything that is legal is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/not-everything-that-is-legal-is-reputable/#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 } } ] } ```