"So great moreover is the regard of the law for private property, that it will not authorize the least violation of it; no, not even for the general good of the whole community"
- William Blackstone
About this Quote
This quote by William Blackstone speaks with the significance of private property in the eyes of the law. Blackstone is stressing that the law will not permit any infraction of personal property, no matter how useful it may be to the neighborhood as a whole. This quote highlights the significance of protecting the rights of people and their home, even when it might be more helpful to the neighborhood to do otherwise. Blackstone is suggesting that the law needs to focus on the rights of people over the collective good of the neighborhood. This quote is a tip that the law ought to be used to secure the rights of individuals, and that the collective good of the community must not be used as an excuse to breach those rights.