Putting in the full quote this time

"You took an oath to uphold the law and defend the citizens without fear or favour," said Vimes. "And to protect the innocent. That's all they put in. Maybe they thought those were the important things. Nothing in there about orders, even from me. You're an officer of the law, not a soldier of the government."

—Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

Comments

[iisaw]

Sir Terry was a wise man, and you can find more genuine moral guidance in his writings than in most "holy" books.

[Carabas]

Regrettably evergreen quote, that. Terry Pratchett had a knack for those.

[Georg]

5277887 Within reason. Remember, his example of the supreme executive is a fairly detached despot who has people executed on a whim, and the chief law enforcement officer has this little thing about respecting civil rights in a casual fashion unless they appeal to him at the moment. I could certainly see them as mayor and chief of police in Chicago, though.