Quotes About Ethics

The world of evil is only as evil as we allow it to be.

Often when people say something they shouldn't have, people nearby will touch or scratch their closed eyelid—this is a good indicator that something improper was uttered. You see this often with politicians when one misspeaks and another catches it.

But such a fortuitous rescue from ethical bondage is rare indeed.

They might have been all-right people doing the best they could, but I got to tell you, you got a dead cat lying in your yard you ought to bury it. That's my motto.

The corporation's legally defined mandate is to pursue, relentlessly and without exception, its own self-interest, regardless of the often harmful consequences it might cause to others.

The problem with capitalism is that we have a global theology without morality, without a Bible. And that's dangerous, he warns - we're not going to be able to exist in a global context if we are the bastards of our business.

Look, if you need sexy egg cartons to sell our eggs, then you need to educate your customers. We don't intend to patronize big oil just so we can sell eggs at Whole Foods.

Whenever an economic sector cloisters itself behind opaqueness, it will begin taking environmental, social, and economic shortcuts. Integrity occurs when people can see what's going in at the front door and what's coming out the back door. Absent that accountability, you lose integrity.

I do think anger aimed at evil is a good thing. I do not think it helps any culture to dismiss elements that deprive the populace of righteousness.

It was the fact that we were selling dead animals. You see, farmers are only supposed to sell live animals to processors and marketers who are supposed to make all the money—those notorious middlemen. After all, we couldn't have all that middleman money going to farmers. No, that wouldn't be right. Farmers are supposed to be peasants, serfs, impoverished dolts, remember?

Nothing is as clean and nutritious as a customer-inspected facility and business. When the relationship marketer must pass the scrutiny of the discriminating patron, who personally looks over the entire operation, you'd better believe not one in a thousand would risk doing something unscrupulous.

If worthless men are sometimes at the head of affairs, it is, I believe, because worthless men are at the tail and the middle

When legislature is corrupted, the people are undone.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

The foundations of national morality must be laid in private families.

There is no greater guilt than the unneccessary war.

Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.

We hear very often declarations on the demoralizing tendency of war, but as much as I hate war, I cannot be of the opinion that frequent wars are so corrupting to human nature as long peaces.

You can't be a part-time man of principle.

Money brings about good consequences – helps us live valuable lives – only when joined with 'virtues'. Virtues are good abilities of mind and character.

if you're prepared to eat them, you must be prepared to murder them.

Not unlike Saul, many leaders in our homes, corporations, and churches are more concerned with their goals than with their offspring. Because of this attitude, these leaders view God's people as resources to serve their vision instead of seeing the vision as the vehicle to serve the people. The success of the vision justifies the cost of wounded lives and shattered people. Justice, mercy, integrity, and love are compromised for success. Decisions are based on money, numbers, and results.

A minister or a Christian is what he lives, not what he preaches.

is good enough? In these times the terms good and God are seemingly synonymous. We believe that what is generally accepted as good must be aligned with God's will. Generosity, humility, and justice are good. Selfishness, arrogance, and cruelty are evil. The distinction seems pretty straightforward. But is that all there is to it? If good is so obvious, why does Hebrews 5:14 teach that we must have discernment to recognize it?