Quotes about Ethics

It never does any good when one knave punishes another without first becoming good himself.

Where the happy medium cannot be attained, it is better and safer to fall short on this side than on that; that is, too much mercy is better than too much punishment. One can withdraw and reduce too much mercy; but punishment cannot be taken back, especially where it touches body, life, or limb.

True, then, are these two sayings: "Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works";

The greedy misuse the world by striving to acquire it.

We shall understand why a Christian observes laws: For the peace of the world, out of gratitude to God, and for a good example that others may be attracted to the Gospel.

The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.

You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say

And so we shall have to do more than register and more than vote; we shall have to create leaders who embody virtues we can respect, who have moral and ethical principles we can applaud with enthusiasm.

I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the "oughtness" that forever confronts him.

I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.

The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.

I agree with Dante, that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality