Home › Proverbs

The more laws, the less justice

Meaning: Excessive rules and regulations can undermine rather than promote fairness.

Origin: Attributed to Cicero in De Officiis (44 BC): Summum ius summa iniuria — extreme law is extreme injustice.

Translations

  • 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)

← Back to Proverbs

Loading the full interactive collection…