Quotes About Ethics

There is no such thing as justice--in or out of court.

Some false representations contravene the law; some do not. ... The sensibilities of no two men are the same. Some would refuse to sell property without carefully explaining all about its merits and defects, and putting themselves in the purchasers' place and inquiring if he himself would buy under the circumstances. But such men never would be prosperous merchants.

Some false representations contravene the law; some do not. The law does not pretend to punish everything that is dishonest. That would seriously interfere with business, and, besides, could not be done. The line between honesty and dishonesty is a narrow, shifting one and usually lets those get by that are the most subtle and already have more than they can use.

There is no such thing as justice - in or our of court.

Robert G. Ingersoll was a great man. a wonderful intellect, a great soul of matchless courage, one of the great men of the earth -- and yet we have no right to bow down to his memory simply because he was great. Great orators, great soldiers, great lawyers, often use their gifts for a most unholy cause. We meet to pay a tribute of love and respect to Robert G. Ingersoll because he used his matchless power for the good of man. {Darrow's eulogy for Ingersoll at his funeral}

It's not bad people I fear so much as good people. When a person is sure that he is good, he is nearly hopeless; he gets cruel- he believes in punishment.

As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and if no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever.

I have never killed anyone, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction.

Too many moralists begin with a dislike of reality.

There is nothing that can tear a person to pieces like religious hypocrisy – teaching one thing and practicing another.

My grandfather was a man, when he talked about freedom, his attitude was really interesting. His view was that you had obligations or you had responsibilities, and when you fulfilled those obligations or responsibilities, that then gave you the liberty to do other things.

And I don't think that government has a role in telling people how to live their lives. Maybe a minister does, maybe your belief in God does, maybe there's another set of moral codes, but I don't think government has a role.

In the world there exists no aesthetic plane, not even the aesthetic plane of goodness.

Would it be simplistic to think the moral problem with regards to others consists in behaving as one ought to, and the moral problem with regards to oneself is managing to feel what one ought to?

Sometimes only a lie can save you.

A ética da moral é mantê-la em segredo. A liberdade é um segredo.

As for that morality of mine, the harsh glory of being alive is horror itself.

Y yo le dije que sí, porque hay momentos en que aunque uno no crea ni en el cielo ni en la vida después de la muerte, es mejor mentir. Le mentí a él y me mentí a mí.

He didn't tell me who had the abortion, Mum, just where. And that isn't covered by the confidentiality of confession?

Aquella tarde, Rita, que no era madre ni nunca lo sería, obligó a otra mujer a serlo, forzando el dogma aprendido hasta llegar al cuerpo de otro.

tuvo que meter las manos en el barro, en la inmundicia, para hacer lo que había que hacer, sin cometer ni delito ni pecado, ésa soy yo.

Your friend refuses to carry what doesn't belong to her. You

Pride sullies the noblest character.

Virtue is indeed its own reward.