necessity knows no law

proverb

A person who is in great need of something will find a way to obtain it, and violate the law if needed.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. A person who is in great need of something will find a way to obtain it, and violate the law if needed.

    "Necessity knows no law."

    1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
needs must when the devil drives

Translations

Dutch nood breekt wet
  • nood breekt weta person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
Finnish hätä ei lue lakia
  • hätä ei lue lakiaa person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
French faute de grives on mange des merles, nécessité fait loi
  • faute de grives on mange des merlesa person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
  • nécessité fait loia person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
German Not kennt kein Gebot, Not bricht Gebot
  • Not kennt kein Gebota person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
  • Not bricht Gebota person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
Hungarian nagy úr a muszáj, szükség törvényt bont
  • nagy úr a muszája person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
  • szükség törvényt bonta person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
Polish tonący brzytwy się chwyta
  • tonący brzytwy się chwytaa person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
Swedish nöden har ingen lag
  • nöden har ingen laga person who is in great need of something will find a way to get it, and break the law if needed
Cite this entry
APA

necessity knows no law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necessity%20knows%20no%20law

MLA

“necessity knows no law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necessity%20knows%20no%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “necessity knows no law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necessity%20knows%20no%20law.

Source: necessity knows no law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.