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Principles Quotes

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Principles Quotes

“Unbounded morality ultimately becomes counterproductive even in terms of the same moral principles being sought. The law of diminishing returns applies to morality.”

Law Term Moral Principles Return Morality Moral Principles Counterproductive Diminishing Returns

Book:Knowledge And Decisions

Source: Knowledge And Decisions

“No great, inspiring culture of the future can be built upon the moral principle of relativism. For at its bottom such a culture holds that nothing is better than anything else, and that all things are in themselves equally meaningless. Except for the fragments of faith (in progress, in compassion, in conscience, in hope) to which it still clings, illegitimately, such a culture teaches every one of its children that life is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing.”

Children Stills Life Is Culture Compassion Moral Principles Teach Progress Conscience Built All Things Bottom Tales Idiot Meaningless Fragments Relativism Moral Principles Signifying

Author:Michael Novak

“There can be no truly moral choice unless that choice is made in freedom; similarly, there can be no really firmly grounded and consistent defense of freedom unless that defense is rooted in moral principle.”

Made Choices Liberty Moral Principles Defense Consistent Rooted Grounded Moral Principles Moral Choices

Author:Murray Rothbard

“Highfalutin moral principles are impossible guides to foreign policy. At worst, they reflect hypocrisy; at best, extreme naivete.”

Moral Principles Impossible Worst Policy Extremes Guides Hypocrisy Foreign Policy Moral Principles Naivete

Author:Charles Krauthammer

“When we assume God to be a guiding principle well, sure enough, a god is usually characteristic of a certain system of thought or morality. For instance, take the Christian God, the summum bonum: God is love, love being the highest moral principle; and God is spirit, the spirit being the supreme idea of meaning. All our Christian moral concepts derive from such assumptions, and the supreme essence of all of them is what we call God.”

“I am convinced that the moment is coming when, with its message of eternal, universal values, it will come to the aid of our society. For in these words: "Thou shalt not kill; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," lie those very moral principles that will enable us to survive even the most critical situations.”

Moments Lying Values Situation Moral Principles Eternal Messages Universal Critical Convinced Aids Neighbor Our Society Thyself Moral Principles Love Thy Neighbor

Author:Boris Yeltsin

“Because of lack of moral principle, human life becomes worthless. Moral principle, truthfulness, is a key factor. If we lose that, then there is no future.”

Ifs Humans Loses Moral Principles Keys Factors Human Life Worthless Truthfulness Moral Principles

Author:Dalai Lama

“In this world laws are written for the lofty aim of "the common good" and then acted out in life on the basis of the common greed. In this world irrationality clings to man like his shadow so that the right things get done for the wrong reasons - afterwards, we dredge up the right reasons for justification. It is a world not of angels but of angles, where men speak of moral principles but act on power principles; a world where we are always moral and our enemies always immoral; a world where "reconciliation" means that when one side gets the power and the other side gets reconciled to it.”

“That's all very well as an abstract moral principle, Avril, a coffee-table theoretical construct, but there's no denying the sheer gratuitous pleasure to be derived from seeing members of the ruling class in pain and torment.”

Wells Pain Pleasure Moral Class Principles Seeing Members Tables Coffee Abstract Sheer Constructs Torment Ruling Theoretical Moral Principles

Book:The Acid House

Source: The Acid House

“If by sticking to the moral principles you have followed all your life, you jeopardize your happiness and that of others, throw over your principles. Principles for principles' sake -that is not wisdom; that is obstinacy. Principles should be fluid because life is fluid.”

Ifs Should Life Is Moral Principles Sake Over You Fluid Moral Principles Obstinacy Jeopardize

Author:Epifanio de los Santos

“A party should be founded not merely on numbers, but on moral principles, without which it can neither accomplish useful work nor inspire confidence.”

Should Party Numbers Moral Principles Inspire Accomplish Moral Principles

Author:Eleftherios Venizelos

“This is the very heart of true morality--not to struggle, not to fight with any weapons, for one's self alone--but to struggle and to fight for the common interest, to wield the power of brain and good right arm if need be for one's family, for the ordered community of life, for the state, for moral principles, humanity, and the common good.”

Ifs Needs Heart Self States Humanity Fighting Interest Community Common Brain Moral Principles Struggle Arms Morality Weapons Common Good Moral Principles Common Interests

Author:Joseph Alexander Leighton

“As human beings we are all the same. We have this marvelous intelligence, which sometimes creates problems for us, but when influenced by warm-heartedness can be very constructive. In this context we need to appreciate the value of having moral principles.”

Needs Humans Sometimes Problem Values Human Beings Moral Principles Appreciate Intelligence Warm Marvelous Constructive Sameness Moral Principles Most Meaningful Learn To Appreciate

Author:Dalai Lama

“What passes in the world for talent or dexterity or enterprise is often only a want of moral principle. We may succeed where others fail, not from a greater share of invention, but from not being nice in the choice of expedients.”

World Want May Choices Moral Principles Greater Nice Failing Share Talent Succeed Invention Enterprise Being Nice Moral Principles Dexterity

Book:The Round Table. A collection of Essays ... By W. H. and Leigh Hunt

Source: The Round Table. A collection of Essays ... By W. H. and Leigh Hunt

“Political differences essentially depend on disagreement in moral principles.”

Political Differences Moral Principles Depends Disagreement Moral Principles Political Differences

Author:Lord Acton

“Some level of truthfulness has always been seen as essential to human society, no matter how deficient the observance of other moral principles.”

Humans Matter Truth Levels Moral Principles Essentials Truthfulness Human Society Moral Principles Observance

Book:Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life

Source: Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life

“I know not, Madam, that you have a right, upon moral principles, to make your readers suffer so much.”

Knows Writing Suffering Moral Principles Reader Moral Principles

Book:The life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D., comprehending an account of his studies, and numerous works, in chronological order: a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons; and various original pieces of his composition, never before published; the whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great Britain, for near half a century during which he flourished

Source: The life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D., comprehending an account of his studies, and numerous works, in chronological order: a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons; and various original pieces of his composition, never before published; the whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great Britain, for near half a century during which he flourished

“Right and wrong as moral principles do not change. They are applicable and reliable determinants whether the situations with which we deal are simple or complicated. There is always a right and wrong to every question which requires our solution.”

Simple Deals Situation Moral Principles Solutions Complicated Moral Principles

Book:An enemy hath done this

Source: An enemy hath done this

“Placing the state in charge of moral principles is equivalent to putting the proverbial fox in charge of the chicken coop.”

States Moral Principles Chickens Foxes Moral Principles Proverbial

Author:Murray Rothbard

“We are particularly thankful to you for your part in the movement to have the words under God added to our Pledge of Allegiance. These words will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man.”

“If only people would realize that moral principles are like measles.... They have to be caught. And only the people who've got them can pass on the contagion.”

People Ifs Realizing Moral Principles Influence Caught Moral Principles Contagion Measles

Book:The collected works of Aldous Huxley

Source: The collected works of Aldous Huxley

“There can be no truly moral choice unless that choice is made in freedom; similarly, there can be no really firmly grounded and consistent defense of freedom unless that defense is rooted in moral principle. In concentrating on the ends of choice, the conservative, by neglecting the conditions of choice, loses that very morality of conduct with which he is so concerned. And the libertarian, by concentrating only on the means, or conditions, of choice and ignoring the ends, throws away an essential moral defense of his own position.”

“It is difficult for me to regard anyone who obeys no moral principle in his conduct to be a religious man.”

Men Difficult Religious Moral Principles Morality Regard Moral Principles

Book:Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi

Source: Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi

“Their usual mistaken premise is that they affirm some consensus among people, at least among tame peoples, concerning certain moral principles, and then conclude that these principles must be unconditionally binding also for you and me-or conversely, they see that among different peoples moral valuations are necessarily different and infer from this that no morality is binding-both of which are equally childish.”

People Different Certain Moral Principles Morality Usual Mistaken Consensus Different Peoples Premises Binding Moral Principles Valuation Moral Absolutism

Book:Nietzsche: The Gay Science: With a Prelude in German Rhymes and an Appendix of Songs

Source: Nietzsche: The Gay Science: With a Prelude in German Rhymes and an Appendix of Songs

“The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second most important moral principle for all the generations of humanity?”

Important Religion Humanity Moral Principles Generations Achieve Commandments Constructs Moral Principles Pinnacle

Author:Sam Harris

“Lastly, our ancestors established their system of government on morality and religious sentiment. Moral habits, they believed, cannot safely be trusted on any other foundation than religious principle, nor any government be secure which is not supported by moral habits.... Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.”

Source: The Great Orations and Senatorial Speech of Daniel Webster

“Grandeur of character lies wholly in force of soul, that is, in the force of thought, moral principle, and love, and this may be found in the humblest condition of life”

May Soul Character Lying Found Force Moral Principles Conditions And Love Grandeur Moral Principles

Book:Self-Culture. An address introductory to the Franklin lectures, delivered at Boston. 1838

Source: Self-Culture. An address introductory to the Franklin lectures, delivered at Boston. 1838

“As the light of morning strikes now one peak and then another, some being illuminated while others are in the shadow, so the light of the essential moral principle shines now upon one duty and then upon another, while others are in the shadow.”

Light Moral Principles Morning Duty Essentials Shadow Shining Strikes Moral Principles

Author:Felix Adler

“By helping to raise man above the level of bestial vegetation, faith contributes in reality to the securing and safeguarding of his existence. Take away from present-day mankind its education-based, religious-dogmatic principles- or, practically speaking, ethical-moral principles- by abolishing this religious education, but without replacing it by an equivalent, and the result will be a grave shock to the foundations of their existence.”

Source: Mein Kampf

“To be a fully functioning moral agent, one cannot passively accept moral principles handed down by fiat. Moral principles require moral reasoning.”

Accepting Moral Principles Agents Reasoning Moral Principles Moral Reasoning

Book:The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

Source: The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

“Separation of church and state cannot mean an absolute separation between moral principles and political power.”

Mean States Political Church Moral Principles Absolutes Separation Church And State Separation Of Church And State Political Power Moral Principles

Author:Edward Kennedy

“Free institutions are not the property of any majority. They do not confer upon majorities unlimited powers. The rights of the majority are limited rights. They are limited not only by the constitutional guarantees but by the moral principle implied in those guarantees. That principle is that men may not use the facilities of liberty to impair them. No man may invoke a right in order to destroy it.”

Source: The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy

“Before we're Americans, we're Christians. And so we have to be informed by a certain moral sense, which means that we need to speak up for moral principle and for gospel principle regardless of who that offends.”

Needs Mean Christian Certain Speak Moral Principles Moral Principles

Author:Russell D. Moore

“[T]he great American statesman devotes his energy, ability, and wisdom to conforming himself and this people to the moral principles that gave this nation birth, are older than anything else in the country's soul, and yet retain the power to make us young again with the vigor of virtue and the zeal for justice.”

People Soul Country Young Energy Nations Justice Ability Moral Principles Virtue Birth Conform Zeal Statesmen Vigor Great American Moral Principles

Author:Alan Keyes

“Using the phrase business ethics might imply that the ethical rules and expectations are somehow different in business than in other contexts. There really is no such thing as business ethics. There is just ethics and the challenge for people in business and every other walk in life to acknowledge and live up to basic moral principles like honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness and caring.”

People Different Might Challenges Walks Responsibility Moral Principles Honesty Expectations Ethics Caring Acknowledge Phrases Ethical Fairness Moral Principles Business Ethics

Author:Michael Josephson

“Our search for such [moral] principles can start with . . . the unconditional imperative to acknowledge every person as a person. If we ask for the contents given by this absolute, we find, first, something negative-the command not to treat a person as a thing. This seems little, but it is much. It is the core of the principle of justice.”

Ifs Firsts Littles Persons Seems Asks Given Justice Moral Principles Negative Treats Absolutes Core Command Acknowledge Unconditional Imperatives Moral Principles Command Not

Author:Paul Tillich

“Is there another way? Of course there is. There is a way based on simple moral principles: Everyone keeps his own money. Everyone decides what to do with his own money. No income tax. No IRS. No government grants or assistance to anyone. All charity is voluntary. It's called freedom. It's a peaceful, harmonious way of life, one that Americans once believed in.”

Way Government Courses Simple Moral Principles Taxes Charity Income Peaceful Grants Assistance Another Way Harmonious Income Tax Irs Moral Principles

Author:Jacob G. Hornberger

“The Trouble with liberals is twofold: They have a horrible blind spot with respect to moral principles and they have an abysmal understanding of economic principles.”

Understanding Moral Principles Trouble Economic Blind Horrible Spots Moral Principles Blind Spots

Author:Jacob G. Hornberger