Quotes About Ethics

most things are right or wrong only in their backgrounds; few things are good or evil in themselves.

adult delinquents—people of mature years who either do not know their duty, or who, knowing it, fail.

I suspect that there are just two sorts of lawyers: those who spend their efforts making life easy for other people—and parasites.

Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is not sinful—just stupid.)

was the sort of jerk who would entice a young girl with candy and consider it a smart operation.

This school is based on the idea that a man who can think correctly will automatically behave morally—or

Every law that was ever written opened up a new way to graft.

Having been born to wealth, stealing doesn't fret me as much as it does him.

Harshaw held that certain feet were made for stepping on, in order to improve the breed, promote the general welfare, and minimize the ancient insolence of office; he had seen at once that Heinrich had such feet.

Manuel, on some subjects I don't trust even myself. Limiting the freedom of news 'just a little bit' is in the same category with the classic example 'a little bit pregnant.' We are not yet free nor will we be as long as anyone—even our ally Mike—controls our news. Someday I hope to own a newspaper independent of any source or channel. I would happily set print by hand, like Benjamin Franklin.

My old man taught me two things: 'Mind own business' and 'Always cut cards'.

May I ask this? Under what circumstances is it moral for a group to do that which is not moral for a member of that group to do alone?" "Uh . . . that's a trick question." "It is the key question, dear Wyoming. A radical question that strikes to the root of the whole dilemma of government. Anyone who answers honestly and abides by all consequences knows where he stands—and what he will die for.

If it has to be done, a man—a real man—shoots his own dog himself; he doesn't

Correct morals arise from knowing what Man is—not what do-gooders and well-meaning old Aunt Nellies would like him to be.

It is by no means enough that an officer should be capable. . . . He should be as well a gentleman of liberal education, refined manners, punctilious courtesy, and the nicest sense of personal honor. . . . No meritorious act of a subordinate should escape his attention, even if the reward be only one word of approval. Conversely, he should not be blind to a single fault in any subordinate.

Do-gooding is like treating hemophilia—the real cure is to let hemophiliacs bleed to death . . . before they breed more hemophiliacs.

Do You Have a PROBLEM? Nothing is illegal—it isn't what you do; it's the way that you do it.

no better way to improve breed. Certain types of loudmouthism should be a capital offense among decent people.

It's much safer to break a law knowingly than to do so through ignorance.

sin' is rarely concerned with a real wrongness but sin is what the sinner groks as sin—and when you grok with him, it can hurt. I know.

Ahlakç? dediÄŸin kendi k?staslar?n? evrensel kanunlar zanneden kiÅŸidir. Sen bu yayg?n kötülükten neredeyse tümüyle uzaks?n.

all public employees have larceny in their hearts or they wouldn't be feeding at the public trough

The basis of all morality is duty, a concept with the same relation to group that self-interest has to individual.

So what is their crime? Twofold: a) The Shipstone companies are guilty of supplying energy to the human race at prices below those of their competitors; b) They meanly and undemocratically decline to share their industrial secret of the final assembly stage of a Shipstone.