“law was not thought up by the intelligence of human beings,
nor is it merely some kind of resolution passed by communities,
but rather it is an eternal force
which rules the world
by the wisdom of its commands and prohibitions.
. . . that original and final law
is the intelligence of God,
who ordains and forbids everything by reason.”
“Human laws are guided in punishing the wicked and defending and protecting the good . . .
no other kind should be given the status or even the name of law.”
“law in the proper sense is right reason in harmony with nature.
It is spread through the whole human community,
unchanging and eternal,
calling people to their duty by its commands
and deterring them from wrong doing
by its prohibitions. . .
This law cannot be countermanded,
nor can it in any way be amended,
nor can it be totally rescinded.
We cannot be exempted from this law by any decree
of the Senate or the people . . .
All peoples at all times will be embraced by a single and eternal
Unchangeable law . . .
And there will be one master over us all –
God
who is the author, proposer, and interpreter of that law.
Whoever refuses to obey it turns his back on himself . . .
he has denied his nature as a human being . . .”
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
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