But which is the State's essential function, aggression or defence, few seem to know or care.
Benjamin TuckerRead
The main question ... is not what motive inspired the law, but what it will be possible for men of bad motive to do with the law.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The focus should be on how laws can be misused by those with ill intentions, rather than on the original intentions behind the laws.
This quote emphasizes the importance of considering the potential consequences of laws, especially in the hands of individuals who may have ulterior motives. It suggests that the creation of laws should be scrutinized not only for their intended purpose but also for how they can be manipulated by those who seek to exploit them for personal gain, thus encouraging a deeper reflection on legal frameworks and their societal implications.
Themes
LawMotiveCorruptionPhilosophySociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a debate on criminal justice reform, one might say this quote to emphasize the need for better safeguards against misuse of laws.
More from Benjamin Tucker
All quotes →There is no freedom that I would grant to any man that I would refuse to woman, and there is no freedom that I would refuse to either man or woman except the freedom to invade ... whoever has the ballot has the freedom to invade, and whoever wants the ballot wants the freedom to invade. Give woman equality with man, by all means; but do it by taking power from man, not giving it to woman.
Benjamin TuckerRead
Government is the assumption of authority over a given area and all within it, exercised generally for the double purpose of more complete oppression of its subjects and extension of its boundaries.
Benjamin TuckerRead
Voting is merely a labor-saving device for ascertaining on which side force lies and bowing to the inevitable... It is neither more nor less than a paper representative of the bayonet, the bully, and the bullet.
Benjamin TuckerRead
To force a man to pay for the violation of his own liberty is indeed an addition of insult to injury.
Benjamin TuckerRead
Anarchism does not repudiate the right of ownership, but it has a conception thereof sufficiently different from [others'] to include the possibility of an end of that social organization which will arise, not out of the ruins of government, but out of the transformation of government into voluntary association for defence.
Benjamin TuckerRead
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