Who said “Morals are in all countries the result of legislation and government; they are not…”?

Verified

Denis Diderot. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceObservations on the Drawing Up of Laws (1774)

Find Observations on the Drawing Up of Laws on Amazon · paid link

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“Morals are in all countries the result of legislation and government; they are not African or Asian or European: they are good or bad.”
— Denis Diderot
VerifiedObservations on the Drawing Up of Laws (1774) · evidenceMorality

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Observations on the Drawing Up of Laws (1774).

APA

Diderot, D. (n.d.). Morals are in all countries the result of legislation and government; they are not African or Asian or European: they are good or bad. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29792-morals-are-in-all-countries-the-result-of/

MLA

Diderot, Denis. “Morals are in all countries the result of legislation and government; they are not African or Asian or European: they are good or bad.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29792-morals-are-in-all-countries-the-result-of/. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Diderot, Denis. “Morals are in all countries the result of legislation and government; they are not African or Asian or European: they are good or bad.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 25, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/29792-morals-are-in-all-countries-the-result-of/.

Related quotes

More quotes by Denis Diderot

All 44 Denis Diderot quotes →