We pick out a text here and there to make it serve our turn; whereas , if we take it all together, and considered what went before and what followed after, we should find it meant no such thing.
John SeldenRead
Ignorance of the law excuses no man; not that all men know the law, but because 'tis an excuse every man will plead, and no man can tell how to refute him.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Being unaware of the law does not protect someone from its consequences.
John Selden's quote emphasizes that ignorance of the law cannot be used as a valid defense for unlawful actions. It suggests that while not every individual may be familiar with all legal statutes, claiming ignorance is a common defense that cannot easily be countered, highlighting the importance of legal awareness and personal responsibility.
Themes
LawIgnoranceResponsibilityJusticeAwareness
In practice
Example use cases
In a courtroom setting to explain the importance of knowing the law.
More from John Selden
All quotes →Of all the actions of a man's life, his marriage does least concern other people, yet of all the actions of our lives, 'tis the most meddled with by other people.
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They that govern the most make the least noise.
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All things are God's already; we can give him no right, by consecrating any, that he had not before, only we set it apart to his service - just as a gardener brings his master a basket of apricots, and presents them; his lord thanks him, and perhaps gives him something for his pains, and yet the apricots were as much his lord's before as now.
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Pleasures are all alike simply considered in themselves: he that hunts, or he that governs the commonwealth, they both please themselves alike, only we commend that, whereby we ourselves receive some benefit.
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