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Benjamin Franklin, letter to Benjamin Vaughan, March 14, 1785. The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, ed. Albert H. Smyth, vol. 9, p. 293 (1906). He was echoing Voltaire, "that generous Maxim, that 'tis much more Prudence to acquit two Persons, tho' actually guilty, than to pass Sentence of Condemnation on one that is virtuous and innocent. Zadig, chapter 6, p. 53 (1749, reprinted 1974). Sir William Blackstone, in his Commentaries on the Laws of England, 9th ed., book 4, chapter 27, p. 358 (1783, reprinted 1978), says, "For the law holds, that it is better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer".
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That it is better 100 guilty Persons should escape than that one innocent Person should suffer, is a Maxim that has been long and generally approved.

— Benjamin Franklin on Justice

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "That it is better 100 guilty Persons should escape than that one innocent Person should suffer, is a Maxim that has been long and generally approved." in the context of "Benjamin Franklin, letter to Benjamin Vaughan, March 14, 1785. The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, ed. Albert H. Smyth, vol. 9, p. 293 (1906). He was echoing Voltaire, "that generous Maxim, that 'tis much more Prudence to acquit two Persons, tho' actually guilty, than to pass Sentence of Condemnation on one that is virtuous and innocent. Zadig, chapter 6, p. 53 (1749, reprinted 1974). Sir William Blackstone, in his Commentaries on the Laws of England, 9th ed., book 4, chapter 27, p. 358 (1783, reprinted 1978), says, "For the law holds, that it is better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer"." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Justice" (Respectfully Quoted (1989)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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#Benjamin Franklin#generally#innocent#approved#persons#better#guilty#escape#person#suffer#maxim#long
Benjamin Franklin

About Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (17 January 1706 – 17 April 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A renowned polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and a diplomatic scientific and novice electrician; he was a major figure in the U.S. Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, for keeping bifocals fog-free, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He facilitated many civic organizations, including Philadelphia's fire department and the University of Pennsylvania.