There’s one law for the rich and another law for the poor


What's the meaning of the phrase 'One law for the rich and another law for the poor'?

This proverbial saying express the opinion that the poor are treated harshly by the law whereas the rich, with their access to clever lawyers and bribes, usually escape punishment.

What's the origin of the phrase 'One law for the rich and another law for the poor'?

It isn’t often that a proverb can be attributed to a specific source. Many are modifications of similar sayings that date from before such things were normally written down, others may have existed in other languages before being translated into English. The source of these is often impossible to determine.

‘One law for the rich and another law for the poor’ stands apart from them as it was coined by the English Royal Navy officer and novelist Captain Frederick Marryat in his book The King’s Own, 1830:

There cannot be one law for the rich and another for the poor, Debriseau. When I hear that the wives of the aristocracy have been seized by the revenue officers, and the contraband articles which they wear have been taken off their backs, and that they have been sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment, by a committal from the magistrate, then – and not till then – will I acknowledge our profession to be dishonest.

Some proverbs offer dubious advice and many are directly contradictory of others. As for ‘there’s one law for the rich and another law for the poor’ it is a truth universally accepted.

Other ‘One‘ phrases:

One fell swoop – At
One for the road
One foot in the grave
One over the eight
One sandwich short of a picnic
One small step for man
One stop shop
One swallow doesn’t make a summer

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
There’s one law for the rich and another law for the poor

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