Quotes About Ethics

Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical.

And is it not obvious that, just as it is a crime to disturb the peace when truth reigns, it is also a crime to remain at peace when the truth is being destroyed?

The power of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special efforts, but by his ordinary doing.

Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions.

Man is neither angel nor beast, and unhappily whoever wants to act the angel, acts the beast.

Evil is never done so thoroughly or so well as when it is done with a good conscience.

Since [man's] true nature has been lost, anything can become his nature: similarly, true good being lost, anything can become his true good.

A given man lives a life free from boredom by gambling a small sum every day. Give him every morning the money he might win that day, but on condition that he does not gamble, and you will make him unhappy.

Man is neither angel nor brute, and the unfortunate thing is that he who would act the angel acts the brute.

We never do evil so fully and cheerfully as when we do it out of conscience.

Man is neither angel nor beast, and it is unfortunately the case that anyone trying to act the angel acts the beast.

to think well; this is the principle of morality.

Weaklings are those who know the truth, but maintain it only as far as it is in their interest to do so, and apart from that forsake it.

The virtue of a man ought to be measured not by his extraordinary exertions, but by his every-day conduct.

Can anything be more ridiculous than that a man should have the right to kill me because he lives on the other side of the sea, and because his ruler has a quarrel with mine, though I have none with him.

Noble deeds are most estimable when hidden.

Love or hate alters the face of justice.

Man without faith can know neither true good nor justice.

Ci Puo' essere quakcosa di piu' stupido del fatto che un uomo abbia il diritto di uccidermi perche' vive sull'altra sponda di un fiume e il suo sovrano ha avuto una lite con il mio, anche se io non ho litigato con lui?

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it with religious conviction.

Can anything be stupider than that a man has the right to kill me because he lives on the other side of a river and his ruler has a quarrel with mine, though I have not quarreled with him?

Let us then strive to think well; that is basic principle of morality. (54)

The strength of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts.

Ugly deeds are most estimable when hidden.