"Justice is incidental to law and order"
- J. Edgar Hoover
About this Quote
This quote by J. Edgar Hoover recommends that justice is not the primary goal of order. Instead, it is a secondary or incidental result. This implies that the primary function of law and order is to maintain order and stability in society, instead of to guarantee justice. This could be translated as a justification for the use of oppressive strategies to preserve order, even if it suggests sacrificing justice. It could likewise be seen as a caution versus relying too heavily on the law to accomplish justice, as it might not constantly be successful in doing so. Eventually, this quote recommends that justice must not be the primary objective of order, however rather a result that is in some cases achieved.
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