proverb · Legacy record
A penny-weight of love is worth a pound of law.
A penny-weight of love is worth a pound of law.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A small weight of love valued above a large weight of law contrasts care with formal regulation. The saying gives affection moral importance through an exaggerated measure.
What the words are saying
The comparison is not legal guidance or proof that love replaces fair rules, protection or accountability. A useful application values humane conduct alongside appropriate processes. Claimed affection cannot excuse coercion, hide harm or require someone to surrender a right or boundary.
Everyday example
Someone combines considerate treatment with a fair process instead of treating either as unnecessary.
When to use it
Use it as a qualified care-and-rules comparison.
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What it does not mean
No legal rule or exemption from accountability through claimed love is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
United Kingdom
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 956; PDF page 83; collection label: United Kingdom
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- United Kingdom