Thomas Hobbes - Law Quotes

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The first and fundamental law of Nature, which is, to seek peace and follow it.

Thomas Hobbes
But if one Subject giveth Counsell to another, to do anything contrary to the Lawes, whether that Counsell proceed from evil intention, or from ignorance onely, it is punishable by the Common-wealth; because igorance of the Law, is no good excuse, where every man is bound to take notice of the Lawes to which he is subject.

Thomas Hobbes
The Interpretation of the Laws of Nature in a Common-wealth, dependeth not on the books of Moral Philosophy. The Authority of writers, without the Authority of the Commonwealth, maketh not their opinions Law, be they never so true.

Thomas Hobbes
No man's error becomes his own Law; nor obliges him to persist in it.

Thomas Hobbes
All men, among themselves, are by nature equal. The inequality we now discern hath its spring from the civil law.

Thomas Hobbes
Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice. Force and fraud are, in war, the cardinal virtues.

Thomas Hobbes
This is that law of the Gospel; whatsoever you require that others should do to you, that do ye to them.

Thomas Hobbes
A Law of Nature, (Lex Naturalis) is a Precept, or general Rule, found out by Reason, by which a man is forbidden to do, that, which is destructive of his life, or taketh away the means of preserving the same; and to omit, that, by which he thinketh it may be best preserved.

Thomas Hobbes
If we could suppose a great multitude of men to consent to the observation of justice, and other laws of Nature, without a common Power to keep them all in awe; we might as well suppose all mankind to do the same; and then there neither would be nor need to be any civil government or commonwealth at all, because there would be Peace without subjection.

Thomas Hobbes
The law is more easily understood by few than many words. For all words are subject to ambiguity, and therefore multiplication of words in the body of the law is multiplication of ambiguity. Besides, it seems to imply (by too much diligence) that whosoever can evade the words is without the compass of the law.

Thomas Hobbes
For all laws are general judgements, or sentences of the legislator; as also every particular judgement is a law to him whose case is judged.

Thomas Hobbes