"Some laws are wrong, and we have an obligation to speak out against those laws wherever they are"
About this Quote
The subtext is about permission: permission to dissent even when a law is popular, even when it's framed as security, tradition, or "common sense". By choosing "obligation" instead of "right", McMahon shifts activism from lifestyle choice to ethical duty. That word quietly shames the comfortable middle, the people who disagree privately but prefer the silence of plausible deniability.
"Wherever they are" widens the circle again. It's not just a nod to global human rights; it's an indictment of selective outrage and the easy nationalism that treats injustice abroad as "not our problem". Coming from a public figure whose job depends on broad appeal, the statement also carries a meta-message about platform: visibility isn't neutral. If you benefit from attention, you can spend some of it on friction.
In a culture that often confuses controversy with toxicity, McMahon's intent reads as a pushback: disagreement isn't impolite when the law itself is the offense.
Quote Details
| Topic | Human Rights |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
McMahon, Julian. (n.d.). Some laws are wrong, and we have an obligation to speak out against those laws wherever they are. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/some-laws-are-wrong-and-we-have-an-obligation-to-69553/
Chicago Style
McMahon, Julian. "Some laws are wrong, and we have an obligation to speak out against those laws wherever they are." FixQuotes. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/some-laws-are-wrong-and-we-have-an-obligation-to-69553/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Some laws are wrong, and we have an obligation to speak out against those laws wherever they are." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/some-laws-are-wrong-and-we-have-an-obligation-to-69553/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.











