Quote

Vices are simply the errors which a man makes in his search after his own happiness. Unlike crimes, they imply no malice toward others, and no interference with their persons or property.

All is extremely genteel; and there is almost as much repose as in the golden saloons of the contiguous palaces. At any rate, if there be as much vice, there is as little crime.

We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates.

Vice, by comparison with terrible accidents, has its own peculiar explanation. For, in a way, it does occur in accordance with the rationale of nature, and its occurrence is not, so to speak, useless in relation to the whole world. For otherwise, the good would not exist, either.

I think it's common sense to say that the longer away from a crime it gets prosecuted, the less deterrent effect there is.

We are often deterred from crime by the disgrace of others.

For a government to declare a vice to be a crime, and to punish it as such, is an attempt to falsify the very nature of things. It is as absurd as it would be to declare truth to be falsehood, or falsehood truth.

Petty laws breed great crimes.

We haven't had crime writers, and for a long time in the Republic, we didn't seem to have a crime problem as such.