If the same punishment is prescribed for two crimes that injure society in different degrees, then men will face no stronger deterrent from committing the greater crime if they find it in their advantage to do so.
Cesare BeccariaRead
Unless some other factor is operative, in large, weak and underpopulated states, the luxury of ostentation prevails over that of comfort; but in countries which are more populous than extensive, the luxury of comfort always diminishes ostentation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
In sparsely populated states, people tend to display wealth more openly, while in densely populated countries, the focus shifts to personal comfort over showiness.
Cesare Beccaria's quote reflects on the relationship between population density and societal values regarding wealth and comfort. In larger, less populated states, individuals may engage in ostentation, showing off their wealth as a means of social status. Conversely, in more populous regions, where individuals are more likely to be in close proximity to one another, the necessity for personal comfort and practicality takes precedence over the desire to flaunt wealth. This observation underscores how societal values can shift based on demographic factors.
Themes
OstentationComfortPopulationWealthSociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on economic disparities, one might reference Beccaria's quote to illustrate how wealth displays vary in different geographical contexts.
More from Cesare Beccaria
All quotes βEasy, simple and great laws, which await nothing but a sign from the lawgiver to spread prosperity and vigour throughout the nation, laws which would earn him immortal hymns of gratitude down the generations, are those which are least considered or least wanted.
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In order that punishment should not be an act of violence perpetrated by one or many upon a private citizen, it is essential that it should be public, speedy, necessary, the minimum possible in the given circumstances, proportionate to the crime, and determined by the law.
Cesare BeccariaRead
No man ever freely surrendered a portion of his own liberty for the sake of the public good; such a chimera appears only in fiction. If it were possible, we would each prefer that the pacts binding others did not bind us; every man sees himself as the centre of all the world's affairs.
Cesare BeccariaRead
I myself owe everything to French books. They developed in my soul the sentiments of humanity which had been stifled by eight years of fanatical and servile education.
Cesare BeccariaRead
The lawgiver ought to be gentle, lenient and humane. The lawgiver ought to be a skilled architect who raises his building on the foundation of self-love, and the interest of all ought to be the product of the interests of each.
Cesare BeccariaRead
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