Quotes About Ethics

But, thank God, [the fish] are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able.

The fun of talk is to explore, but much of it and all that is irresponsible should not be written. Once written you have to stand by it. You may have said it to see whether you believed it or not.

The fish is my friend too, he said aloud. I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him. I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars.

If he lived by a lie he should try to die by it

Then he was sorry for the great fish... How many people will he feed?.. But are they worthy to eat him? No, of course, not. There is no one worthy of eating him from the manner of his behavior and his great dignity.

We went down the stairs to the café on the ground floor. I had discovered that was the best way to get rid of friends. Once you had a drink all you had to say was: "Well, I've got to get back and get off some cables," and it was done. It is very important to discover graceful exits like that in the newspaper business, where it is such an important part of the ethics that you should never seem to be working.

But I won't keep a count of people I have killed as though it were a trophy record or a disgusting business like notches in a gun, he told himself. I have a right to not keep count and I have a right to forget them. No, himself said. You have no right to forget anything. You have no right to shut your eyes to any of it nor any right to forget any of it nor to soften it nor to change it.

That was morality; things that made you disgusted afterward. No, that must be immorality.

Too much honor destroys a man quicker than too much of any other fine quality.

understanding of it and I am not sure that I believe in it. Perhaps it was a sin to kill the fish. I suppose it was even though I did it to keep me alive and feed many people. But then everything is a sin. Do not think about sin. It is much too

About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.

Mai pensare che la guerra, anche se giustificata, non sia un crimine.

But, thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able.

But should a man carry out impossible orders knowing what they lead to?

You have killed? Robert Jordan asked. Yes. Several times. But not with pleasure. To me it is a sin to kill a man. Even fascists whom we must kill. Yet you have killed. Yes. And will again. But if I live later, I will try to live in such a way, doing no harm to any one, that it will be forgiven. By whom? Who knows? Since we do not have God here anymore, who forgives, I do not know.

There are no man like them when they are good, but when they get bad, there's no world which is worse.

I don't think if people gambled for what they could afford it would be very interesting.

Férfit meg szabad ölni. Megátalkodni is szabad. De megsérteni nem.

But you mustn't believe in killing, he told himself. You must do it as a necessity but you must not believe in it. If you believe in it the whole thing is wrong.

A részeg ember aljasabb, mint akármelyik gonosztevÅ'. A tolvaj, ha éppen nem lop, olyan ember, mint mindenki más. A zsaroló legalább otthon nem folytatja mesterségét. A gyilkos megmossa kezét, amikor hazatér. De milyen a részeg ember? Büdös, és berókáz a saját ágyába, és a szeszben eláznak a legfontosabb szervei.

How many people will he feed, he thought. But are they worthy to eat him? No, of course not. There is no one worthy of eating him from the manner of his behaviour and his great dignity.

A man must learn to recognize values.

Muck everybody but the people and then be damned careful what they turn into when they have power.

E nisto consiste a moral: coisas que fazemos e das quais depois sentimos repulsa.