The worst evil of disregard for some law is that it destroys

The words of Herbert Hoover—“The worst evil of disregard for some law is that it destroys respect for all law”—strike like a bell across the ages, warning us that the unraveling of order begins not with open rebellion, but with small acts of neglect. In these words, Hoover, a man who lived through the storms of war and depression, points to a truth known to the ancients: that when men choose which laws to honor and which to ignore, the whole foundation of justice begins to crumble. For law is not merely a rule written on parchment—it is the thread that binds the trust of a people, the covenant that holds a society together.

The ancients taught that the polis, the city-state, was sustained not by walls or armies but by respect for its laws. In Athens, the laws were inscribed upon stone and set in the marketplace, so that every citizen might see them and be reminded of the shared order that allowed freedom to flourish. But Plato and Aristotle both warned that once the citizens treated the laws as trifles to be bent or broken at will, chaos would rise, and the city would fall into tyranny or anarchy. Hoover’s words echo this ancient warning: the greatest danger is not in the breaking of one law, but in the loss of faith in law itself.

History bears witness to this truth. In the days of Prohibition in the United States, a single law—the ban on alcohol—was widely disregarded. Speakeasies thrived, smugglers grew rich, and ordinary citizens winked at the rule while breaking it nightly. The result was not merely drunkenness, but the corrosion of respect for the entire system of law. If this law could be mocked, why should any other be obeyed? Corruption spread in courts and police forces, and organized crime flourished. This is the very evil Hoover named: when one law is treated with contempt, it poisons the reverence for all others.

The wisdom here is profound. Law is like a chain: each link, however small, bears weight. If one link is neglected, the whole chain is weakened. A society may withstand the breaking of a single rule, but if it tolerates disregard—if it shrugs and says, “This law is not important”—then slowly the structure of justice collapses. Citizens grow cynical. Authority becomes hollow. And soon the very laws that guard life and liberty are endangered.

Yet Hoover’s words are not a call to blind obedience, for he lived in a republic, not a tyranny. The ancients also knew that unjust laws must be questioned, even resisted. But there is a great difference between challenging an unjust law in the name of right, and disregarding laws out of convenience, greed, or indifference. The first strengthens respect for justice, the second destroys it. The evil Hoover warns of is not righteous protest, but careless neglect—the slow decay of reverence for order itself.

The lesson is clear: every citizen has a duty to honor the principle of law, even while working to reform it. If a law is unjust, seek its change through rightful means; do not mock it in secret, for such disregard undermines the very ground upon which justice must be built. Teach your children that laws are not chains but safeguards, not burdens but protections. For when respect for law is preserved, freedom endures; when it is lost, even the noble laws cannot stand.

Therefore, let us take Hoover’s words to heart. In our daily dealings, let us not disregard what is inconvenient, nor trample what seems small. Let us honor the covenant of society, even as we strive to perfect it. For the greatest evil is not in one broken law, but in the loss of reverence for law itself. And the greatest good lies in building a people who respect justice, uphold order, and thereby preserve the freedom of generations yet to come.