"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation"

In this quote, Thomas Brackett Reed is expressing his belief that it is a typical misunderstanding to believe that all the problems and misbehaviors worldwide can be resolved through laws and guidelines. He is suggesting that people often have a false hope that legislation alone can fix the concerns and injustices that exist in society. However, Reed argues that this is a misconception because laws can just do so much and there are lots of other factors at play. He is warning versus relying entirely on legislation and rather encourages individuals to do something about it and responsibility in developing a much better world.