Law is nothing without Equity, and Equity is everything, even without Law. Those who perceive what is just and what is unjust only through the eyes of the law, never see it as well as those who behold it with the eyes of Equity. Law may be looked upon, in some manner, as an assistance for those who have a weak perception of right and wrong, in the same way that optical glasses, are useful for those who are shortsighted, or those whose visual organs are deficient. Equity, in its true and genuine meaning, is the soul and spirit of the law; positive law is construed, and rational law is made by it.

- Institutes of American Law 1882, Vol. 2, s. 3724, para. 4.” by John Bouvier.