"Laws are like cobwebs; strong enough to detain only the weak, but too weak to hold the strong"?

Question

"Laws are like cobwebs; strong enough to detain only the weak, but too weak to hold the strong" ---From philosopher Anacharsis

what do you think is ment by what he said?

Answer 1

Money can buy you the best lawyers and keep you out of jail. i.e. OJ, Vince Niel, Matthew Broderick......all had Shapiro on their defense team.

Answer 2

He isn't talking about money or lawyers. He is talking about something much more fundamental.

It reminds me of Neitzche and his ubermench: the few among us who are strong enough to shape history.

Think of the spiderwebs as nets that catch people doing things wrong: the strong walk right through them, over them, past them.

You don't even have to think of it in a negative context. Nelson Mandela was strong. The law (a bad one in this case) was trying to hold him back and if he had been a lesser man it would have. But he overcame the law, moved past it because the law is too weak to hold the strong.

I think that is what was meant by the quote.

Answer 3

That the rich and powerful are seldom made to suffer the full consequences of any illegal acts that they commit owing to their wealth, influence and status.

The poor and middle class, however, get no such favoritism.

Answer 4

One who has knowledge (or strength) of how cobwebs work (or how laws work) can ultimately manipulate them to his/her will.

Those ignorant of how cobwebs work (or ignorant of how laws work) can ultimately fall victim to them (hence, their weaknesses).