Quotes About Justice

The judge should not be young; he should have learned to know evil, not from his own soul, but from late and long observation of the nature of evil in others: knowledge should be his guide, not personal experience.

Injustice is censured because the censures are afraid of suffering, and not from any fear which they have of doing injustice.

Then not only custom, but also nature affirms that to do is more disgraceful than to suffer injustice, and that justice is equality.

O youth or young man, who fancy that you are neglected by the gods, know that if you become worse, you shall go to worse souls, or if better to the better... In every succession of life and death, you will do and suffer what like may fitly suffer at the hands of like. This is the justice of heaven.

A man ought not to return evil for evil, as many think, since at no time ought we to do an injury to our neighbour.*

All men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman; and however we deceive ourselves, as dear unto God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince.

Justice will only exist where those not affected by injustice are filled with the same amount of indignation as those offended.

The greatest penalty of evildoing - namely, to grow into the likeness of bad men.

For he who steals a little steals with the same wish as he who steals much, but with less power, and he who takes up a greater amount; not having deposited it, is wholly unjust.

No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding.

Bad men rule by the feebleness of the ruled; and this is just; the triumph of weaklings would not be just.

The giving of riches and honors to a wicked man is like giving strong wine to him that hath a fever.

Courage consists not in hazarding without fear; but being resolutely minded in a just cause.

For there is no virtue, the honor and credit for which procures a man more odium than that of justice; and this, because more than any other, it acquires a man power and authority among the common people.

But the Lacedaemonians, who make it their first principle of action to serve their country's interest, know not any thing to be just or unjust by any measure but that.

These things sensibly affected Theseus, who, thinking it but just not to disregard, but rather partake of, the sufferings of his fellow citizens, offered himself for one without any lot. All else were struck with admiration for the nobleness and with love for the goodness of the act.

They should live all together on an equal footing; merit to be their only road to eminence, and the disgrace of evil, and credit of worthy acts, their one measure of difference between man and man.

It was glorious to acquire a throne by justice, yet more glorious to prefer justice before a throne; the same virtue which made the one appear worthy of regal power exalted the other to the disregard of it.

For first, when Pompey made severe laws for punishing and laying great fines on those who had corrupted the people with gifts, Cato advised him to let alone what was already passed, and to provide for the future; for if he should look up past misdemeanors, it would be difficult to know where to stop; and if he would ordain new penalties, it would be unreasonable to punish men by a law, which at that time they had not the opportunity of breaking.

In a harangue to the people, he said, with reference to these measures, that he had proscribed all he could think of, and as to those who now escaped his memory, he would proscribe them at some future time.

That best and justest fabric of things was of no long continuance, because it wanted that cement which should have kept all together, education.

An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.

The poor go to war, to fight and die for the delights, riches, and superfluities of others.

When God blesses the harvest, there is enough for the thief as well as the gardener.