QuoteProject
It is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer.
William Blackstone
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

It's preferable for guilty individuals to go free than for an innocent person to be wrongfully punished.

This quote emphasizes the importance of justice and the moral principle that it is more acceptable for a guilty person to evade punishment than to harm an innocent individual. It highlights a fundamental tenet of legal systems: the protection of the innocent should be prioritized over the conviction of the guilty, as the latter can lead to irreversible harm and injustice.

Themes

JusticeInnocenceGuiltLawPrinciple

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a courtroom setting to illustrate the importance of protecting the innocent.

More from William Blackstone

That the king can do no wrong is a necessary and fundamental principle of the English constitution.
William BlackstoneRead
The public good is in nothing more essentially interested, than in the protection of every individual's private rights.
William BlackstoneRead
There is nothing which so generally strikes the imagination and engages the affections of mankind, as the right of property.
William BlackstoneRead
Law is the embodiment of the moral sentiment of the people.
William BlackstoneRead
No enactment of man can be considered law unless it conforms to the law of God
William BlackstoneRead
Herein indeed consists the excellence of the English government, that all parts of it form a mutual check upon each other.
William BlackstoneRead

Similar quotes

Because the Illinois death penalty system is arbitrary and capricious - and therefore immoral - I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death.
George RyanRead
We sought justice because equal pay for equal work is an American value. That fight took me ten years. It took me all the way to the Supreme Court. And, in a 5 - 4 decision, they stood on the side of those who shortchanged my pay, my overtime, and my retirement just because I am a woman.
Lilly LedbetterRead
The struggle for justice doesn't end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me.
Troy Anthony DavisRead
Justice remains the tool of a few powerful interests; legal interpretations will continue to be made to suit the convenience of the oppressor powers.
Che GuevaraRead
The death penalty is an inhumane punishment that disproportionately violates the human rights of Black, brown, indigenous, and other marginalized people.
Cori BushRead
But I wound like people to think I was an honest judge and a good judge. And I always tried the reach the best result in every case.
John Paul StevensRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.