Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.
About This Quote
Louis D. Brandeis used this line while arguing for transparency and public oversight as remedies for corruption and abuse of power in business and government. The remark is associated with his Progressive Era work as a lawyer and public intellectual advocating regulation, publicity, and accountability—before his later service as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1916–1939). The metaphor reflects an early-20th-century faith that exposing wrongdoing to public view (“sunlight”) deters misconduct more effectively than private enforcement alone, and that modern illumination (“electric light”) symbolizes vigilant scrutiny that prevents abuses from occurring.
Interpretation
The quote compresses a theory of governance into a vivid image: secrecy enables corruption, while openness discourages it. “Sunlight” stands for disclosure—publicity, a free press, open records, and transparent procedures—acting like a disinfectant that cleanses institutions by making misconduct harder to hide. “Electric light” extends the metaphor from cleansing to prevention: constant illumination functions like a “policeman,” deterring wrongdoing through the expectation of being seen and held accountable. Brandeis’s phrasing has become a touchstone for modern debates about transparency, ethics rules, financial disclosure, and open government, suggesting that visibility is itself a form of regulation.
Variations
1) “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.”
2) “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
3) “Sunlight is said to be the best disinfectant.”
Source
Louis D. Brandeis, Other People’s Money and How the Bankers Use It (New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1914), chapter “What Publicity Can Do.”
