"Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through"

This quote by Jonathan Swift is a metaphor comparing laws to cobwebs. The metaphor suggests that laws are inadequate in controlling certain people, simply as cobwebs are inefficient in catching bigger bugs such as wasps and hornets. The quote indicates that laws are not always effective in managing people who are figured out to break them. It suggests that laws are just effective in controlling those who are not determined to break them, just as cobwebs are just efficient in capturing little flies. This quote is a tip that laws are not constantly efficient in controlling individuals, which those who are determined to break them will discover a way to do so. It is a caution that laws must be thoroughly crafted and imposed in order to be effective in managing people.