QuoteProject
Laws should be made to serve the people. People should not be made to serve the laws.
Huey Newton
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Laws exist to benefit society, not to control individuals.

Huey Newton's quote emphasizes the fundamental purpose of laws, asserting that they should be designed to protect and serve the needs of the people rather than imposing restrictions that dictate how people must live their lives. This perspective advocates for a just legal system where the rights and freedoms of individuals are prioritized over strict adherence to legal codes, highlighting the importance of human dignity in the governance process.

Themes

LawsPeopleJusticeFreedomSociety

In practice

Example use cases

During a speech about social justice reforms.

More from Huey Newton

There's no reason for the establishment to fear me. But it has every right to fear the people collectively - I am one with the people.
Huey NewtonRead
Those in the community who defy authority and 'break the law' seem to enjoy the good life and have everything in the way of material possessions. On the other hand, people who work hard and struggle and suffer much are the victims of greed and indifference, losers. This insane reversal of values presses heavily on the Black community. The causes originate from outside and are imposed by a system that ruthlessly seeks its own rewards, no matter what the cost in wrecked human lives.
Huey NewtonRead
There will be no prison which can hold our movement down.
Huey NewtonRead
I expected to die. At no time before the trial did I expect to escape with my life. Yet being executed in the gas chamber did not necessarily mean defeat. It could be one more step to bring the community to a higher level of consciousness.
Huey NewtonRead
By surrendering my life to the revolution, I found eternal life
Huey NewtonRead
But before we die, how shall we live? I say with hope and dignity; and if premature death is the result, that death has a meaning reactionary suicide can never have. It is the price of self-respect.
Huey NewtonRead

Similar quotes

Love of glory, fear of shame, greed for fortune, the desire to make life agreeable and comfortable, and the wish to depreciate others - all of these are often the causes of the bravery that is spoken so highly of by men.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Nothing is more active than thought, for it travels over the universe, and nothing is stronger than necessity for all must submit to it.
ThalesRead
To be free is not to have the power to do anything you like; it is to be able to surpass the given toward an open future.
Simone De BeauvoirRead
They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction. 'Poor Grendel's had an accident,' I whisper. 'So may you all.
John GardnerRead
To stand on one leg and prove God's existence is a very different thing from going on one's knees and thanking him.
Soren KierkegaardRead
The Dhamma has to be found by looking into your own heart and seeing that which is true and that which is not, that which is balanced and that which is not balanced.
Ajahn ChahRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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