What a pity that he who steals a penny loaf should be hung, whilst he who steals thousands of the public money should be acquitted!
John Russell
Orion's Cold Fire
All the Secrets of the Universe and Some Really Important Stuff Too!
All the Secrets of the Universe and Some Really Important Stuff Too!
What a pity that he who steals a penny loaf should be hung, whilst he who steals thousands of the public money should be acquitted!
John Russell
–Theodore Roosevelt
My initial take on the quote had liberal leanings, i.e., the thought of hanging someone for stealing food when they are starving amidst plenty is horrifying.
Hang the one who steals hundreds of millions? Sure! What’s for lunch?
This guy was a reformist British PM in the early nineteenth century so he was liberal before that became a negative.