Quotes About Ethics

Actions in Hindu mythology are never 'right', though they are often necessary or obligatory, and they always come at a price.

Adharma is thus an eternal temptation, while dharma is an endless work in progress that validates our humanity.

Tadaka subscribes to no rules, Ahalya breaks a rule while Sita follows all rules.

Dharma must be valued over family or friends,' he

Within there is regard for the law of marriage; without there isn't any. Within, Sita is Rama's wife. Outside, she is a woman for the taking. Ravana knows that if he enters Rama's hut and forces himself on Sita he will be judged by the rules of society. But when he forces himself on Sita outside the Lakshmana-rekha, he will be judged by the laws of the jungle. Within, he will be the villain who disregarded the laws of marriage. Outside, he will be hero, the great trickster.

Dharma must not only domesticate nature, it also needs to ensure there is harmony between nature and culture.

what is apparently a good deed need not really be a good deed, for every moment is governed by factors that are often beyond human comprehension.

The epic constantly reminds us that what is apparently a good deed need not really be a good deed, for every moment is governed by factors that are often beyond human comprehension.

To live in dharma is to act in love. To

The war is not for you, Arjuna, but for civilized human conduct. Remember,

You call it justice but how much punishment is adequate - when is it fine to forgive and move on? A society that does not make room for imperfection can never be a happy society.

In Buddhist literature, we are told the story of the hamsa who was shot dead in front of the Buddha by a hunter. The Buddha looked at the hunter and asked, 'Can you bring it back to life?' The hunter replied, 'No, I cannot.' The Buddha then said, 'If you cannot give life, what gives you the right to take life?

Where there are no boundaries, there is no violation.

Never strike anyone below the waist. Never strike anyone in the back. Never strike anyone who is unarmed or helpless. Fight among equals and win by upholding the rules. Therein lies glory.

To empathize is dharma. Failure to empathize is adharma.

Krishna encourages Drona's killing because Drona has abandoned varna-dharma. Though born in a family of priests, he functions as a warrior and even crowns his son king of a kingdom created by laying claim to one half of Draupada's land. As teacher, he teaches his students

Do not be naive. Criminals cannot go unpunished. Nor can heroes.

My father said, 'Politics asks the question Is it expedient Vanity asks Is it popular But conscience asks Is it right'

Madoff was not inhumanly monstrous. He was monstrously human. He was greedy for money and praise, arrogantly sure of his own capacity to pull it off, smugly dismissive of skeptics—just like anyone who mortgaged the house to invest in tech stocks, or tapped the off-limits college fund to gamble on a new business, or put all the retirement savings into a hedge fund they didn't understand, or cheated a little on the tax return or the expense account or the spouse.

While contemporary Christians tend to equate morality with sexual ethics, our ancestors defined morality as welcoming the stranger. Unlike almost every other contested idea in early Christianity, including the nature of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity, the unanimous witness of the ancient fathers and mothers was that hospitality was the primary Christian virtue.

Enacting love was a critical aspect of experiencing love. Devotion and ethics intertwined.

While contemporary Christians tend to equate morality with sexual ethics, our ancestors defined morality as welcoming the stranger.

Christians struggled with Jesus's Great Command to love God (devotion) and love their neighbor (ethics).

When we do something irresponsible or inconsiderate, our PR guy steps in to perform damage control.