Quotes About Ethics

The three jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility. Balthasar said compassion leads to courage, moderation leads to generosity, and humility leads to leadership.

Das Prinzip Moral verstehe ich nicht.« »Das überrascht mich nicht im geringsten.«

Keep in mind, Eragon, that no one thinks himself a villain, and few make decisions they think are wrong. A person may dislike his choice, but he will stand by it because, even in the worst circumstances, he believes that it was the best option available to him at the time.

I didn't think I would ever meet a noble who wasn't corrupt. Now that I have, I find that I prefer them when they're greedy bastards. (Brom to Eragon)

I know what we do is right but right doesn't always mean easy.

It is a better world. A place where we ate responsible for our actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and becauseit is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment.

It's better to be sworn to an honest fool than to a lying scholar

I agree that it's important to be of a virtuous nature, but I would also contend that if you had to choose between giving a man a noble disposition or teaching him to think clearly, you'd do better to teach him to think clearly. Too many problems in this world are caused by men with noble dispositions and clouded minds.

besides, how can you cheat a cheater?

Farming is backbreaking work, but at least it is honest labor. This killing isn't honest. It is thievery… the thievery of men's lives, and no right-minded person should aspire to it.

I need no master to punish me in order to behave as I ought. If I did, I would be no more than a child who obeys his father's rules only because he fears the whip, and not because he actually means good.

Eragon! I never want to hear you use that excuse again, that because someone else has done--or would do--something means that you should too. It's lazy, repugnant, and indicative of an inferior mind. Am I clear?

On its own, being a decent person is no guarantee that you will act well, which brings us back to the one protection we have against demagogues, tricksters, and the madness of crowds, and our surest guide through the uncertain shoals of life: clear and reasoned thinking. Logic will never fail you, unless you're unaware of—or deliberately ignore—the consequences of your deeds.

Power without moral direction is the most dangerous force in the world.

no one thinks of himself as a villain, and few make decisions they think are wrong. A person may dislike his choice, but he will stand by it because, even in the worst circumstances, he believes that it was the best option available to him at the time.

Whenever we kill, we kill a part of ourselves.

You cannot expect wolves to become sheep. No, but neither do the wolves have to be cruel to the sheep.

Can someone be truly good if they never have the opportunity to act badly?

For he who has the audacity to determine who should live and who should die no longer serves the law but dictates the law.

a better world. A place where we are responsible for our own actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened in to behaving by the threat of divine punishment.

Whether fate and destiny really exist, the only thing I can do is enjoy the present and live as honorably as possible.

No olvides, Eragon, que nadie se ve a sí mismo como un villano y son pocos los que toman decisiones sabiendo que se equivocan.

Hemos de ceder a nuestros impulsos de herir o matar a cualquiera que nos moleste, de tomar cuanto queremos de quienes son más débiles y, en general, de despreciar los sentimientos de los demás? Somos imperfectos por nacimiento y debemos vigilar nuestros defectos para que no nos destruyan.

Whether fate or destiny really exist, the only thing I can do is enjoy the present and live as honorably as possible.