Origin of Justice

“They say that to do injustice is by nature good, to suffer injustice evil, but that the evil is greater than the good and so when men have both done and suffered injustice and have had experience of both, not being able to avoid the one and obtain the other they think that they had better agree among themselves to have neither, hence there arises laws and mutual covenants and that which is ordained by law is termed by them lawful and just. This they affirm to be the origin and nature of justice, it is a mean or compromise, between the best of all which is to do injustice and not be punished, and the worst of all, which is to suffer injustice without the power of retaliation, and Justice being at a middle point between the two is tolerated not as a good but as the lesser evil and honoured by reason of the in ability of men to do injustice. “- Platos Republic.