"It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one"
- Voltaire
About this Quote
Voltaire’s assertion that it is preferable to risk saving someone guilty rather than condemning someone innocent highlights the fundamental value of justice and the moral responsibilities of individuals and society. The statement challenges the pursuit of punishment above all else, arguing that justice should not be achieved at the expense of fairness or human dignity. It recognizes that human judgment is fallible and that the systems built to administer justice are susceptible to error. Voltaire’s words acknowledge the irreversible harm caused when an innocent person is unjustly punished, a harm not only to the individual but also to the integrity of society as a whole.
The protection of the innocent is presented as a higher principle than the certainty of punishment for the guilty. This view places the burden of proof on the accuser and upholds the presumption of innocence—foundational principles in many modern legal frameworks. The implication is that wrongful conviction is a moral failure greater than allowing a guilty person to escape punishment because the wrong done to the innocent cannot be undone. Voltaire’s perspective privileges mercy, caution, and humility, recognizing that the risk of judicial error is ever-present.
His words also reflect a humane ethic, prioritizing compassion over vengeance. Society, he implies, should be more uncomfortable with unjust suffering than with imperfect justice. Justice systems, therefore, should be designed precisely to minimize the occurrence of wrongful convictions, even if it means that some guilty individuals may occasionally go free. The statement is a call to reflect deeply on the consequences of our actions and decisions, especially where they may irreparably damage an innocent life. The ultimate message advocates for a just, thoughtful, and humane approach to justice that values the lives and dignity of all, while tempering the pursuit of retribution with prudence and empathy.
This quote is written / told by Voltaire between November 21, 1694 and May 30, 1778. He was a famous Writer from France.
The author also have 131 other quotes.
"A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act"
"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses"
"I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman"
"Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them"
"When I first started, it was really an innocent response to the needs of women in rural areas. When we started planting trees to meet their needs, there was nothing beyond that. I did not see all the issues that I have to come to deal with"
"Unfortunately, cancer is the number one killer of children in this country today, and it destroys not only these innocent victims, but their families as well"
