Quotes about Morality

The act that anything evil puts forth is due to the strength of goodness, but a deficient goodness. For if there were nothing of good there, neither would there be any being, nor any action: again, if the goodness were not deficient, neither would there be any evil.

On the contrary, Augustine says (Enchiridion 14) that "evil exists only in good.

But there are more wicked men to be found than good; according to Eccles. 1:15: "The number of fools is infinite.

God is not offended except by our acting contrary to our own good

Three things are required for a war to be just. Indeed, the first requirement is that the ruler at whose command the war is to be waged have the lawful authority to do so. . . . Second, there needs to be a just cause to wage war, namely, that the enemy deserve to have war waged against it because of some wrong it has inflicted. . . . Third, those waging war need to have a right intention, namely, an intention to promote good and avoid evil.

Hence it is predicated chiefly of the virtuous; then of the pleasant; and lastly of the useful.

Good can exist without evil whereas evil cannot exist without good.

To sin is to fall short of a perfect action; hence to be able to sin is to be able to fall short in action, which is repugnant to omnipotence.

yet so that envy is not to be taken for a passion, but for a will resisting the good of another.

It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving, it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.

There is an idea abroad among moral people that they should make their neighbors good. One person I have to make good: Myself. But my duty to my neighbor is much more nearly expressed by saying that I have to make him happy if I may.

Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.