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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People are generally unwilling to sacrifice their freedom for the greater good, as selfishness prevails in human nature.
This quote by Cesare Beccaria reflects on the human tendency to prioritize personal interests over collective well-being. It suggests that the idea of willingly giving up one's freedom for the public good is unrealistic, as each individual views themselves as the focal point of reality and would rather let others take action than sacrifice their own liberties. This highlights a fundamental conflict between individual rights and societal expectations, emphasizing how self-interest drives most human behavior.
Themes
LibertySelfishnessPublic GoodIndividualismPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a debate about personal freedoms versus government regulations.
More from Cesare Beccaria
All quotes →Easy, 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.
Cesare BeccariaRead
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
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
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.
Cesare BeccariaRead
Similar quotes
Philosophers have not kept up with modern developments in science. Particularly physics.
Stephen HawkingRead
Is not nationalism - that devotion to a flag, an anthem, a boundary so fierce it engenders mass murder - one of the great evils of our time, along with racism, along with religious hatred? These ways of thinking - cultivated, nurtured, indoctrinated from childhood on - have been useful to those in power, and deadly for those out of power.
Howard ZinnRead
I am too much of a sceptic to deny the possibility of anything...
Thomas HuxleyRead
Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature.
Nhat HanhRead
There is no such thing as a good tax.
Winston ChurchillRead
We are the cosmos made conscious and life is the means by which the universe understands itself.
Brian CoxRead