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Cesare Beccaria Quotes


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Quotes by Cesare Beccaria

Showing 11-20 of 30 Quotes by Cesare Beccaria

Men's most superficial feelings lead them to prefer cruel laws. Nevertheless, when they are subjected to them themselves, it is in each man's interest that they be moderate, because the fear of being injured is greater than the desire to injure.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Because Being Cruel Desire Each Fear Feelings Greater Injure Injured Interest Laws Lead Man Men Moderate Most Nevertheless Prefer Subjected Superficial Than Them Themselves

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It is impossible to anticipate all of the misdeeds engendered by the universal conflict of human passions. They multiply at a compound rate with the growth in population and the interlacing of particular interests that cannot be directed with geometrical precision towards the public utility.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Anticipate Cannot Compound Conflict Directed Growth Human Impossible Interests Multiply Particular Passions Population Precision Public Rate Towards Universal Utility

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By 'justice', I understand nothing more than that bond which is necessary to keep the interest of individuals united, without which men would return to their original state of barbarity. All punishments which exceed the necessity of preserving this bond are, in their nature, unjust.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Bond Exceed Individuals Interest Justice Keep Men More Nature Necessary Necessity Nothing Original Preserving Punishments Return State Than Understand United Unjust Which Without Would

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If we open our history books, we shall see that the laws, for all that they are or should be contracts amongst free men, have rarely been anything but the tools of the passions of a few men or the offspring of a fleeting and haphazard necessity.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Amongst Anything Been Books Contracts Few Few Men Fleeting Free Free Men History History Books Laws Men Necessity Offspring Open Our Passions Rarely See Shall Should Tools

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Philosophers see no harm in the Jesuits other than in their effect on humanity and the sciences. The vulgar and especially the prejudiced only hate them from an envy and jealousy born out of conspiracy and intrigue at an organisation which overshadows them.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Born Conspiracy Effect Envy Harm Hate Humanity Intrigue Jealousy Jesuits Only Organisation Other Out Philosophers Prejudiced Sciences See Than Them Vulgar Which

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The laws receive their force and authority from an oath of fidelity, either tacit or expressed, which living subjects have sworn to their sovereign, in order to restrain the intestine fermentation of the private interest of individuals.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Authority Either Expressed Fidelity Force Individuals Interest Laws Living Oath Order Private Receive Restrain Sovereign Subjects Sworn Tacit Which

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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.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Affairs Appears Bind Binding Centre Did Each Ever Every Every Man Fiction Freely Good Himself His Liberty Man Only Others Own Portion Possible Prefer Public Public Good Sake Sees Us Were World Would

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To the extent that human spirits are made gentle by the social state, sensibility increases; as it increases, the severity of punishment must diminish if one wishes to maintain a constant relation between object and feeling.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Between Constant Diminish Extent Feeling Gentle Human Increases Made Maintain Must Object Punishment Relation Sensibility Severity Social Spirits State Wishes

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Nothing could be more dangerous than following the popular maxim whereby it is the spirit of the law that must be consulted. This is an embankment that, once broken, gives way to a torrent of opinions.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Broken Could Dangerous Following Gives Law Maxim More Must Nothing Once Opinions Popular Spirit Than Way Whereby

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In every human society, there is an effort continually tending to confer on one part the height of power and happiness, and to reduce the other to the extreme of weakness and misery. The intent of good laws is to oppose this effort and to diffuse their influence universally and equally.

~Cesare Beccaria

Topics: Continually Effort Equally Every Extreme Good Happiness Height Human Human Society Influence Intent Laws Misery Oppose Other Part Power Reduce Society Tending Universally Weakness

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Biography

Nationality: Italian

Type: Judge

Born: March 15th, 1738

Died: November 28th, 1794

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