proverb · Words worth keeping
Laws have wax noses.
Laws have wax noses.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Rules can be shaped to suit someone’s purposes when their application is easily bent. Examine whether the same standard is being used consistently rather than trusting its formal appearance.
Example
A group compares two decisions under the same membership policy and asks why an exception was available only to the chair’s friend.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The wax nose is a feature that can be pushed into a new shape. Applied to laws, the image questions an apparently fixed rule whose interpretation changes with the interests of the person handling it. In an everyday setting, a policy may be explained one way for a favoured person and another way for someone else. Compare the stated reasons and treatment of similar cases. The proverb criticises pliability without establishing that all rules are arbitrary or supplying advice about any actual legal proceeding.
When to use it
Use it to question inconsistent standards concealed behind formal rules.
Keep in mind
Different circumstances can justify different outcomes; establish the relevant comparison before accusing someone of manipulation.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown