Who said “To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.”?

Verified

Elizabeth Cady Stanton. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceAddress to the Tenth National Women's Rights Convention on Marriage and Divorce, New York City, May 11, 1860; as published in Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Feminist as Thinker: A Reader in Documents and Essays edited by Ellen Carol DuBois and Richard Cándida Smith.

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“To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.”
— Elizabeth Cady Stanton
VerifiedAddress to the Tenth National Women's Rights Convention on Marriage and Divorce, New York City, May 11, 1860; as published in Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Feminist as Thinker: A Reader in Documents and Essays edited by Ellen Carol DuBois and Richard Cándida Smith. · evidenceLaw and Lawyers

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Address to the Tenth National Women's Rights Convention on Marriage and Divorce, New York City, May 11, 1860; as published in Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Feminist as Thinker: A Reader in Documents and Essays edited by Ellen Carol DuBois and Richard Cándida Smith..

APA

Stanton, E. C. (n.d.). To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/17398-to-make-laws-that-man-cannot-and-will/

MLA

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/17398-to-make-laws-that-man-cannot-and-will/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/17398-to-make-laws-that-man-cannot-and-will/.

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