Quotes About Ethics

It has always seemed to me," she said, "that a coward is a person who cares more about what people say than about what is right. Bravery isn't about what people call you, Spensa. It's about who you know yourself to be.

I do what needs to be done." "Men say that so easily," Beldre said. "Yet, everybody seems to have a different opinion of what 'needs' to be done.

A coward is a person who cares more about what people say than about what is right.

One man lying about is being idle; two men lying about is a lunch break.

Be a man and not a beast.

The means by which we achieve victory are as important as the victory itself.

They're trying to be good. But they're, you know, Alethi. Conquering folks is basically their primary cultural heritage.

Do not look to the executioner for the reason his blade falls. And

You could even scan to the end and read the last page. Know that by doing so, however, you would violate every holy and honorable story-telling principle known to man, thereby throwing the universe into chaos and causing grief to untold millions.

In her business, there were many who laughed at honest men, calling them easy pickings. That was a fallacy. Being honest did not make one naive. A dishonest fool and an honest fool were equally easy to scam; you just went about it in different ways. However, a man who was honest and clever was always, always more difficult to scam than someone who was both dishonest and clever.

You can't put a price on a person's life," Kaladin

Cruelty is only for men, as is mercy. Only we can choose one or the other, and beasts cannot.

Heavens, no," Wax said. "If I approved of half the thngs Wayne does, Harmony would probably strike me on the spot.

freedom was not lack of responsibilities—it was being able to do what was right, without having to worry if it was also wrong.

There is a saying in the Steel Ministry," Yomen finally said. " 'Sit down to dine with evil, and you will ingest it with your meal.

Well, I didn't wanna kill someone in cold blood—" "That's good, I suppose." "—but there weren't no fire around to light her with first.

I found it interesting how humane things became once the people far up the command chain—the ones who didn't have to bleed for the decisions they made—couldn't force everyone into line.

XinWey's Doctrine states that the most essential morality of mankind is to create the greatest amount of happiness among the greatest number of people while using the least amount of resources.

You can be moral without following the law, and you can be immoral while following the law.

It's beneficial to have a reputation for honesty, if only so that one can lie at crucial moments.

At that moment, Kaladin knew he could kill, if he needed to. Some people—like a festering finger or a leg shattered beyond repair—just needed to be removed.

I am depending upon you to preserve us in power by means of this art we so freely call an abomination. Our hunger for power outweighs our conscience.

the end, I must proclaim that no good can be achieved of false means. For the substance of our existence is not in the achievement, but in the method.

Never ask of your men a sacrifice you wouldn't make yourself. Never make them fight in conditions you would refuse to fight in yourself. Never ask a man to perform an act you wouldn't soil your own hands doing.