James Fitzjames Stephens Quote

"The only shape in which equality is
really connected with justice is this --
justice presupposes general rules.
If these general rules are to be maintained at all,
it is obvious that they must be applied equally
to every case which satisfies their terms."

by:	James Fitzjames Stephens (1829-1894)
Source:	Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, 1873
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Categories:	Equality, Integrity, Justice
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It is truly strange as we watch things like affirmative action, equal rights amendment, and all the well intentioned laws of this type; that we lose sight of the simple truth of this quote. The more complex our laws become is not helping the underlying problems they propose to address. We started with the simple truth, "...all men are created equal..." Now we have thousands of pages of laws, acts, procedures, standards, etc., and we have not improved on that simple, founding line. God help us!  -- J. B. Wulff, Bristol, CT      4
It sounds real good on its face but, to general with too many legally defined phrases needed to really say anything definitive.  -- Mike, Norwalk      4
I agree with J.B.  -- Anon      1
I agree with J.B.-how can simple become so complicated that it loses it's meaning?  -- cal, lewisville, tx
Its about time we relied on ourselves instead of some mythical figure that to date doesn't have a very good record. I agree with Mike (sorry Mike about the religious bit) that there is always another legal phrase to twist the truth. Unfortunately JB we do not live in a society that can just takes "...all men are created equal..." as our single law. When that day comes (never) we will also be above that phrase and all phrases of law will be obsolete. Its the ',,,to every case which satisfies their terms...' where we slip up.  -- RBESRQ      1
All men are created equal. It takes government to make them unequal. Equality in the eyes of the law is the only path to justice. Justice must be blind to wealth, poverty, color, race, religion, or the lack thereof, otherwise we end up with one group a slave to another in one instance and in another instance will be master of another slave group. We will never come to the day when all men who are created equal will be treated equally as long as government creates the inequality (for their own benefit of course) that we all bemoan and wail about.  -- Ken, Allyn, WA      4
Agree with Ken's comments.  -- Elisabeth, Astoria, NY
Ken is right on. 'Equality' has been stretched to mean a government's obligation to make everyone equal in debt, poverty, dependence, and subservience to those 'more equal than others.'  -- E Archer, NYC      3
As a legal aspiration, all are equal before the law. To be most specific, the inalienable rights of each individual sovereign are the same, equal in quantity, quality and in all ways. Justice is an individual issue addressing each individual's adherence to and expression of natural law. Pertaining to the string of accuracy that winds itself through the quote, experience has shown throughout historical trial and error that a certain set procedure and common law recognized rules of administration are most often required in any hope of justice.  -- Mike, Norwalk      1
For me this quote accepts that equality is aspirational and that all men (and women) are not created equal but that but that the application of justice in similar cases should be impartial and without prejudice. This is very clearly not the case.  -- Mick, Manchester
Stephens, being anti-liberal concerning economics, apposed Gladstone, splitting the conservative party. Stephens was basically a tyrant toward free trade and Liberty.  -- Ronw13, Oregon      1
-- jim k, Austin

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