The more laws, the less justice
Meaning: Excessive rules and regulations can undermine rather than promote fairness.
Origin: Cicero quoted the maxim summum ius, summa iniuria — extreme law is extreme injustice — in De Officiis (44 BC). The historian Tacitus made a related point: corruptissima re publica plurimae leges, the more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Plus il y a de lois, moins il y a de justice (literally: The more laws, the less justice)
- Spanish: Cuantas más leyes, menos justicia (literally: The more laws, the less justice)
- Japanese: 法律が多いほど、正義が少ない (Hōritsu ga ōi hodo, seigi ga sukunai) (literally: The more laws there are, the less justice there is)
- German: Je mehr Gesetze, je weniger Recht (literally: The more laws, the less justice)
More proverbs about Morality
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- Waste not, want not — Using things carefully and avoiding waste prevents future need and scarcity.
- Let the punishment fit the crime — Penalties should be proportional and appropriate to the offense committed.
- He who permits wickedness commands it — Silently allowing wrongdoing makes you as responsible as the wrongdoer.
- The truth is rarely pure and never simple — Reality is complex and nuanced; anyone claiming simple certainty should be viewed with sk…
- Character is what you do when no one is watching — True virtue is shown not in public performances but in private actions when there are no…
From our compliments & insults
- Eres un aguafiestas — You're a killjoy — you pour cold water on everyone's fun the moment you arrive.
- ¡Qué cara más dura! — You've got incredible nerve and cheek — the audacity is almost impressive.
- Es un/una pesado/a — A dreadful bore — their company feels like carrying extra weight.