Profound Insights from A. V. Dicey: Quotes on Law and Governance

A. V. Dicey (1835-1922) was a distinguished British jurist and constitutional theorist, renowned for his influential work on the rule of law and parliamentary sovereignty. Born in Oxford, England, he authored the seminal book Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (1885), which remains a cornerstone of British constitutional law. Dicey’s key contributions include defining the rule of law as the principle that all individuals and authorities are subject to and equal before the law. He also emphasized parliamentary sovereignty as a fundamental aspect of the British constitution. Dicey served as the Vinerian Professor of English Law at Oxford and left a lasting impact on legal scholarship in the UK and beyond.

A. V. Dicey Quotes

1. “The principle of Parliamentary sovereignty means neither more nor less than this, namely, that Parliament thus defined has, under the English constitution, the right to make or unmake any law whatever; and, further, that no person or body is recognised by the law of England as having a right to override or set aside the legislation of Parliament.”
— A. V. Dicey

2. “Our constitution, in short, is a judge-made constitution, and it bears on its face all the features, good and bad, of judge-made law.”
— A. V. Dicey

3. “The beneficial effect of state intervention, especially in the form of legislation, is direct, immediate, and so to speak, visible, while its evil effects are gradual and indirect and lay out of sight … Hence the majority of mankind must almost of necessity look with undue favor upon governmental intervention.”
— A. V. Dicey

4. “Freedom of discussion is in England little else than the right to write or say anything which a jury of twelve shopkeepers think it expedient should be said or written.”
— A. V. Dicey