Law vs. Maxim — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 6, 2024
A law is a formal rule enforced by a governing body, while a maxim is a guiding principle or general truth used to influence behavior and decision-making.
Difference Between Law and Maxim
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
A law is an official regulation established by authorities and backed by enforcement mechanisms. A maxim, on the other hand, is a widely recognized principle or saying that shapes moral, ethical, or practical conduct.
Laws are enacted through formal legislative processes or established legal traditions, whereas maxims typically arise from cultural beliefs, philosophical teachings, or common wisdom.
Laws are specific and apply to particular situations, often carrying penalties for violations, while maxims provide broad guidance and are generally not legally binding.
Laws directly regulate behavior within a society to ensure order and justice. Maxims indirectly influence behavior by offering guidelines for ethical decision-making.
Laws are designed for universal application within their jurisdiction. Maxims can vary across cultures, professions, or individual beliefs and provide personal or professional guidance.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Definition
Formal rule enforced by governing bodies
General principle guiding behavior
Enactment Process
Through legislation or established tradition
Evolved from cultural, philosophical ideas
Enforcement
Mandatory, with penalties for violations
Non-binding, encourages ethical behavior
Application Scope
Specific and universal within jurisdiction
Broad but culturally or contextually specific
Purpose
Ensures societal order and justice
Offers guidelines for ethical conduct
Compare with Definitions
Law
A system of rules recognized and enforced by a state or authority.
Breaking traffic laws results in fines or penalties.
Maxim
A general truth or rule of conduct.
Actions speak louder than words is a popular maxim.
Law
An established natural principle.
The law of gravity affects everything on Earth.
Maxim
A concise statement expressing a moral principle.
The maxim Honesty is the best policy guides many decisions.
Law
The whole body of such rules in a specific area.
Criminal law punishes offenses against society.
Maxim
A fundamental principle or rule of action.
His work was influenced by the maxim Lead by example.
Law
A rule of conduct backed by social or ethical norms.
The law requires accurate financial reporting.
Maxim
A widely accepted saying that reflects wisdom.
Time and tide wait for no man is a long-held maxim.
Law
Legal discipline or field of study.
She studied law and became an attorney.
Maxim
A legal principle commonly recognized in jurisprudence.
The maxim Equity aids the vigilant is central to justice.
Law
Law is a system of rules created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and the art of justice.
Maxim
A short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct
The maxim that actions speak louder than words
Law
A rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority.
Maxim
A succinct formulation of a fundamental principle, general truth, or rule of conduct.
Law
The body of rules and principles governing the affairs of a community and enforced by a political authority; a legal system
International law.
Maxim
A self-evident axiom or premise; a pithy expression of a general principle or rule.
Law
The condition of social order and justice created by adherence to such a system
A breakdown of law and civilized behavior.
Maxim
A precept; a succinct statement or observation of a rule of conduct or moral teaching.
Law
A set of rules or principles dealing with a specific area of a legal system
Tax law.
Criminal law.
Maxim
Alternative case form of Maxim
Law
A statute, ordinance, or other rule enacted by a legislature.
Maxim
An established principle or proposition; a condensed proposition of important practical truth; an axiom of practical wisdom; an adage; a proverb; an aphorism.
'T is their maxim, Love is love's reward.
Law
A judicially established legal requirement; a precedent.
Maxim
The longest note formerly used, equal to two longs, or four breves; a large.
Law
The system of judicial administration giving effect to the laws of a community
All citizens are equal before the law.
Maxim
A saying that widely accepted on its own merits
Law
Legal action or proceedings; litigation
Submit a dispute to law.
Maxim
English inventor (born in the United States) who invented the Maxim gun that was used in World War I (1840-1916)
Law
An impromptu or extralegal system of justice substituted for established judicial procedure
Frontier law.
Law
An agency or agent responsible for enforcing the law. Often used with the
"The law ... stormed out of the woods as the vessel was being relieved of her cargo" (Sid Moody).
Law
(Informal) A police officer. Often used with the.
Law
The science and study of law; jurisprudence.
Law
Knowledge of law.
Law
The profession of an attorney.
Law
Something, such as an order or a dictum, having absolute or unquestioned authority
The commander's word was law.
Law
A body of principles or precepts held to express the divine will, especially as revealed in the Bible.
Law
The first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Law
A code of principles based on morality, conscience, or nature.
Law
A rule or custom generally established in a particular domain
The unwritten laws of good sportsmanship.
Law
A way of life
The law of the jungle.
Law
A statement describing a relationship observed to be invariable between or among phenomena for all cases in which the specified conditions are met
The law of gravity.
Law
A generalization based on consistent experience or results
The law of supply and demand.
Law
(Mathematics) A general principle or rule that is assumed or that has been proven to hold between expressions.
Law
A principle of organization, procedure, or technique
The laws of grammar.
The laws of visual perspective.
Law
(usually with "the") The body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
The courts interpret the law but should not make it.
In theory, entrapment is against the law.
Law
The body of such rules that pertain to a particular topic.
Property law
Commercial hunting and fishing law
Law
Common law, as contrasted with equity.
Law
A binding regulation or custom established in a community in this way.
There is a law against importing wallabies.
A new law forbids driving on that road.
The court ruled that the executive order was not law and nullified it.
Law
(more generally) A rule, such as:
Law
Any rule that must or should be obeyed, concerning behaviours and their consequences. mores.}}
"Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you" is a good law to follow.
The law of self-preservation
Law
A rule or principle regarding the construction of language or art.
The laws of playwriting and poetry
Law
A statement (in physics, etc) of an (observed, established) order or sequence or relationship of phenomena which is invariable under certain conditions. theory.}}
The laws of thermodynamics
Newton's third law of motion states that to every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.
This is one of several laws derived from his general theory expounded in the Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.
Law
A statement (of relation) that is true under specified conditions; a mathematical or logical rule.
Mathematical laws can be proved purely through mathematics, without scientific experimentation.
Law
Any statement of the relation of acts and conditions to their consequences.
The law of scarcity
The law of supply and demand
Law
(linguistics) A sound law; a regular change in the pronunciation of a language.
Grimm's law
Dahl's law
Law
(cricket) One of the official rules of cricket as codified by the its (former) governing body, the MCC.
Law
The control and order brought about by the observance of such rules.
They worked to maintain law and order.
It was a territory without law, marked by violence.
Law
(informal) A person or group that act(s) with authority to uphold such rules and order (for example, one or more police officers).
Here comes the law — run!
Then the law arrived on the scene
Law
The profession that deals with such rules (as lawyers, judges, police officers, etc).
He is studying for a career in law.
She has practiced law in New York for twenty years.
Law
Jurisprudence, the field of knowledge which encompasses these rules.
She went to university to study law.
Law
Litigation; legal action (as a means of maintaining or restoring order, redressing wrongs, etc).
They were quick to go to law.
Law
An allowance of distance or time (a head start) given to a weaker (human or animal) competitor in a race, to make the race more fair.
Law
(aviation) A mode of operation of the flight controls of a fly-by-wire aircraft.
Normal law; alternate law; direct law
Law
(fantasy) One of two metaphysical forces ruling the world in some fantasy settings, also called order, and opposed to chaos.
Law
An oath sworn before a court, especially disclaiming a debt. wager of law", "wage one's law", "perform one's law", "lose one's law".}}
Law
(obsolete) A tumulus of stones.
Law
A hill.
Law
A score; share of expense; legal charge.
Law
(obsolete) To work as a lawyer; to practice law.
Law
To prosecute or sue (someone), to litigate.
Law
(nonstandard) To rule over (with a certain effect) by law; to govern.
Law
(informal) To enforce the law.
Law
To subject to legal restrictions.
Law
(dated) An exclamation of mild surprise; lawks.
Law
In general, a rule of being or of conduct, established by an authority able to enforce its will; a controlling regulation; the mode or order according to which an agent or a power acts.
These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made.
The law of thy God, and the law of the King.
As if they would confine the Interminable . . . Who made our laws to bind us, not himself.
His mind his kingdom, and his will his law.
Law
In morals: The will of God as the rule for the disposition and conduct of all responsible beings toward him and toward each other; a rule of living, conformable to righteousness; the rule of action as obligatory on the conscience or moral nature.
Law
The Jewish or Mosaic code, and that part of Scripture where it is written, in distinction from the gospel; hence, also, the Old Testament.
What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law . . . But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.
Law
An organic rule, as a constitution or charter, establishing and defining the conditions of the existence of a state or other organized community.
Law
In philosophy and physics: A rule of being, operation, or change, so certain and constant that it is conceived of as imposed by the will of God or by some controlling authority; as, the law of gravitation; the laws of motion; the law heredity; the laws of thought; the laws of cause and effect; law of self-preservation.
Law
In mathematics: The rule according to which anything, as the change of value of a variable, or the value of the terms of a series, proceeds; mode or order of sequence.
Law
In arts, works, games, etc.: The rules of construction, or of procedure, conforming to the conditions of success; a principle, maxim; or usage; as, the laws of poetry, of architecture, of courtesy, or of whist.
Law
Collectively, the whole body of rules relating to one subject, or emanating from one source; - including usually the writings pertaining to them, and judicial proceedings under them; as, divine law; English law; Roman law; the law of real property; insurance law.
Law
Legal science; jurisprudence; the principles of equity; applied justice.
Reason is the life of the law; nay, the common law itself is nothing else but reason.
Law is beneficence acting by rule.
And sovereign Law, that state's collected willO'er thrones and globes elate,Sits empress, crowning good, repressing ill.
Law
Trial by the laws of the land; judicial remedy; litigation; as, to go law.
When every case in law is right.
He found law dear and left it cheap.
Law
An oath, as in the presence of a court.
Law
An exclamation of mild surprise.
Law
Legal document setting forth rules governing a particular kind of activity;
There is a law against kidnapping
Law
The collection of rules imposed by authority;
Civilization presupposes respect for the law
The great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order
Law
A generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature;
The laws of thermodynamics
Law
A rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society
Law
The learned profession that is mastered by graduate study in a law school and that is responsible for the judicial system;
He studied law at Yale
Law
The force of policemen and officers;
The law came looking for him
Law
The branch of philosophy concerned with the law and the principles that lead courts to make the decisions they do
Common Curiosities
Do laws always reflect maxims?
Not always, but laws often align with prevailing moral principles that maxims embody.
Are maxims enforceable like laws?
No, maxims are guiding principles, not formal regulations enforced by authorities.
Can a maxim be considered a law?
Some maxims form the basis of legal principles, but they themselves are not formal laws.
Is violating a maxim punishable like breaking a law?
No, violating a maxim doesn't lead to legal penalties but might affect personal reputation or relationships.
Are laws and maxims both tied to moral behavior?
Yes, but laws enforce societal order while maxims guide personal or ethical behavior.
Can maxims be used in legal proceedings?
Yes, some legal maxims are referenced to clarify legal principles in court.
Is there a difference between a maxim and a proverb?
Yes, a proverb is a short, traditional saying, while a maxim often emphasizes moral principles or truths.
Are maxims universal?
Not universally; they often vary across different cultures and societies.
Do laws differ across jurisdictions?
Yes, laws vary significantly between different countries and regions.
How are laws created?
Laws are typically created through legislative bodies or by following established legal traditions.
Are all laws always written down?
Most are, but some common law principles are derived from precedents and judicial decisions.
Is a maxim always philosophical?
Many maxims convey philosophical insights, but they can also provide practical guidance.
Are maxims used in specific professions?
Yes, some professions, like medicine or law, have specific maxims guiding ethical behavior.
Can laws change over time like maxims?
Yes, laws evolve as societal norms and priorities shift.
Do all legal systems recognize the same maxims?
Not necessarily; different legal traditions may recognize different guiding principles.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Autism vs. Schizotypal
Next Comparison
Sweepstakes vs. ContestAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
