“It is a wise man who said that there is no greater inequality than the equal treatment of unequals.”

Concurring, Dennis v. United States, 339 U.S. 162, 184 (1950).
Judicial opinions

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Felix Frankfurter 67
American judge 1882–1965

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Felix Frankfurter photo

“The Procrustean bed is not a symbol of equality. It is no less inequality to have equality among unequals.”

Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American judge

Dissenting in New York v. United States, 331 U.S. 284, 353 (1947).
Judicial opinions

Aristotle photo

“The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.”

Aristotle (-384–-321 BC) Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder of Western philosophy

Whilst a paraphrase this is based off of Aristotle's writings as Aristotle stated "For instance, it is thought that justice is equality, and so it is, though not for everybody but only for those who are equals; and it is thought that inequality is just, for so indeed it is, though not for everybody, but for those who are unequal" in https://www.loebclassics.com/view/aristotle-politics/1932/pb_LCL264.211.xml Politics, III. V. 8.
Misattributed
This first appears in 1974 in an explanation of Aristotle's politics in Time magazine, before being condensed to an epigram as "Aristotle's Axiom" in Peter's People (1979) by Laurence J. Peter

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Ted Malloch photo

“Attempts to secure an equal outcome always require unequal treatment of individuals.”

Ted Malloch (1952) American businessman

Source: Doing Virtuous Business (Thomas Nelson, 2011), p. 31.

“Aristotle's axiom: The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal.”

Laurence J. Peter (1919–1990) Canadian eductor

Source: Peter's People and Their Marvelous Ideas

Friedrich Nietzsche photo

“The doctrine of equality! … But there is no more venomous poison in existence: for it appears to be preached by justice itself, when it is actually the end of justice … "Equality to the equal; inequality to the unequal" — that would be true justice speaking: and its corollary, "never make the unequal equal".”

Expeditions of an Untimely Man, §48 Progress in my sense (Streifzüge eines Unzeitgemässen §48 Fortschritt in meinem Sinne). Chapter title also translated as: Skirmishes of an Untimely Man, Kaufmann/Hollingdale translation, and Raids of an Untimely Man, Richard Polt translation
Twilight of the Idols (1888)
Original: (de) Die Lehre von der Gleichheit! ... Aber es giebt gar kein giftigeres Gift: denn sie scheint von der Gerechtigkeit selbst gepredigt, während sie das Ende der Gerechtigkeit ist... "Den Gleichen Gleiches, den Ungleichen Ungleiches - das wäre die wahre Rede der Gerechtigkeit: und, was daraus folgt, Ungleiches niemals gleich machen."

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“Man is wise … when he recognises no greater enemy than himself.”

Third Day, Novel XXX
L'Heptaméron (1558)

Alexis De Tocqueville photo

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