About this quote

A rule that violates basic fairness already does harm just by standing on the books, and punishing someone for defying it compounds the wrong rather than restoring order. Legality and justice are not the same thing, and mixing them lets injustice hide behind procedure.

When to use it

• A worker refusing to enforce a company policy that quietly discriminates, and accepting the reprimand.
• Citizens openly breaking a curfew designed to silence peaceful assembly.
• A pharmacist who won't turn away the patients a technically-legal rule was written to exclude.