4 ms·
> "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him." ~ Cardinal Richelieu (Cardinal a
by NoSalt 8mo ago
> "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."
~ Cardinal Richelieu (Cardinal and former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of France)
- snowwrestler 8mo agoThis apocryphal quote was a statement about his overwhelming power (strong enough to hang people who have done no wrong), not on the mutability of the law. It is frequently mis-applied.
- wredcoll 8mo agoWhy would he need any lines then?
- Joker_vD 8mo agoThe quote is indeed about the law being a nose of wax, to borrow an old English phrase, and how with sympathetic enough courts almost any decision could be upheld. But it's nothing new, precisely the same crime can yield drastically different judgements depending on e.g. the defensive attorney's experience.
- onlyrealcuzzo 8mo ago> e.g. the defensive attorney's experience. Which is another way of saying the defense's wealth.
- snowwrestler 8mo agoHe was powerful enough to hang someone on a flimsy excuse, but not so powerful that he did not need a flimsy excuse. Right in that sweet spot.