Meaning & Analysis
Lawmakers are expected to obey the very laws they create, and it is inappropriate or hypocritical for them to violate them.
Insights
Integrity of Authority
Emphasizes that those in positions of power must model the behavior they prescribe for others, reinforcing the ethical foundation of governance.
Hypocrisy and Power
Highlights the moral dissonance when those who legislate violate their own rules, portraying such acts as a betrayal of public trust and a threat to justice.
Legitimacy through Example
Suggests that a law’s authority derives not just from its content but from its universal application, including those who craft it, thereby establishing rule of law rather than rule by men.
Foundations of Republicanism
This principle underpins classical and Enlightenment republican theory—from Xenophon and Cicero to Locke and Montesquieu—which insists that rulers are not above the law, but subject to it.
Civic Trust and Obedience
Public willingness to follow laws often hinges on perceptions of fairness and consistency; when lawmakers violate their own edicts, social cohesion and legal compliance erode.
Universal Moral Expectation
The proverb echoes a broader ethical stance—that one must not demand from others what one will not do oneself—linking legal integrity with general moral coherence.
Historical Application
From ancient magistracies to modern democracies, historical examples—from Roman emperors to modern political scandals—illustrate that impunity among lawmakers destabilizes entire systems.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The tension between ‘make’ and ‘break’ creates a stark contrast that underscores the contradiction in lawgivers becoming lawbreakers.
Moral Imperative
The phrasing adopts the tone of a categorical ethical command, lending the proverb normative weight and universality.
Parallelism
The mirrored structure of ‘make laws’ and ‘break them’ strengthens rhetorical impact through balanced phrasing.
Transcription
Quotations
It is a shame for the Lawgiuer to breake and violate his owne institutions.
Would you make lawes, and be the first that break 'hem?
(breake lawes).
Who makes the law, ought to keep it.
Xenophanes, being jeered for refusing to play at a forbidden game, answered . . They that make Laws, must keep them.
Law Makers should not be Law Breakers.
Magistrates are to obey as well as execute Laws.
The magistrate should obey the laws, the people should obey the magistrate.
Cross References
- K65 The king must be subject to (must do nothing against) the law
- L114 He deserves not to give laws who cannot endure to receive them.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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