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Duty Quotes

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Duty Quotes

“I have on my office wall a wise and useful reminder by Anne Morrow Lindbergh concerning one of the realities of life. She wrote, "My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds." That's good counsel for us all, not as an excuse to forgo duty, but as a sage point about pace and the need for quality in relationships.”

People Needs Heart Reality Action Quality Wise Duty Wall My Heart Demand Office Excuse Reality Of Life Pace Sage Reminders Morrow

Author:Neal A. Maxwell

“The citizen who thinks he sees that the commonwealth's political clothes are worn out, and yet holds his peace and does not agitate for a new suit, is disloyal, he is a traitor. That he may be the only one who thinks he sees this decay, does not excuse him: it is his duty to agitate anyway, and it is the duty of others to vote him down if they do not see the matter as he does.”

Ifs Thinking May Doe Matter Political Duty Citizens Clothes Vote Excuse Suits Decay Worn Traitor Commonwealth Worn Out Agitate Disloyal

Book:A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Source: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

“The indiscreet questioner - and by indiscreet questions I mean questions which it is not conceivably a man's duty either to the community or to any individual to answer - is a marauder, and there is every excuse for treating him as such.”

Men Mean Individual Community Answers Duty Excuse

Book:Modes and Morals

Source: Modes and Morals

“When a friend is carried to his grave, we at once find excuses for every weakness, and palliation of every fault. We recollect a thousand endearments, which before glided off our minds without impression, a thousand favors unrepaid, a thousand duties unperformed; and wish, vainly wish, for his return, not so much that we may receive as that we may bestow happiness, and recompense that kindness which before we never understood.”

Mind May Death Wish Kindness Duty Return Thousand Understood Weakness Faults Excuse Favors Graves Impression Recompense Endearment

Book:The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler

Source: The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler

“One reason--perhaps the chief--of the virility of the Roosevelts is [their] very democratic spirit. They have never felt that because they were born in a good position they could put their hands in their pockets and succeed. They have felt, rather, that being born in a good position, there is no excuse for them if they did not do their duty by the community.”

Ifs Reason Hands Spirit Felt Born Community Society Position Duty Succeed Democratic Excuse Chiefs Pockets No Excuses

Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote. There is no reason which can excuse the denial of that right. There is no duty which weighs more heavily on us than the duty we have to ensure that right.”

Reason Duty Citizens Equal Vote Excuse Denial No Reason American Citizens Right To Vote Voting Rights Act

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“Electronic brains may help us to use our heads but will not excuse us from that duty, and as to our hearts-cardiograms cannot diagnose what may be most ill about them, or confirm what may be best. The faithful woman and the versatile brave man, the wakeful intelligence open to inspiration or grace-these are still exemplary for our kind, as they always were and always will be.”

Men Heart Kind May Stills Helping Use Inspiration Brain Grace Duty Brave Ill Excuse Faithful Brave Man Versatile Exemplary

Book:The Third Kind of Knowledge: Memoirs & Selected Writings

Source: The Third Kind of Knowledge: Memoirs & Selected Writings

“Using the language of heroism, calling Daniel Ellsberg a hero, and calling the other people who made great sacrifices heroes - even though what they have done is heroic - is to distinguish them from the civic duty they performed, and excuses the rest of us from the same civic duty to speak out when we see something wrong, when we witness our government engaging in serious crimes, abusing power, engaging in massive historic violations of the Constitution of the United States. We have to speak out or we are party to that bad action.”

“Peculiar or not, it is my idea of pleasure. Why, why else do you lead this life you don't enjoy it? Don't talk of duty to me; you men always have some high-sounding excuse for indulging yourselves. You go gallivanting over the earth, climbing mountains, looking for the sources of the Nile; and expect women to sit dully at home embroidering. I embroider very badly. I think I would excavate rather well.”

Thinking Men Wells Ideas Home Earth Enjoy Pleasure Duty Source Mountain Excuse This Life Climbing Peculiar Climbing Mountain Nile

Author:Barbara Mertz