Quotes about Morality

Behold with what companions I walked the streets of Babylon, and wallowed in the mire thereof, as if in a bed of spices and precious ointments. And that I might cleave the faster to its very centre, the invisible enemy trod me down, and seduced me, for that I was easy to be seduced.

I lighted upon that bold woman, simple and knoweth nothing, shadowed out in Solomon, sitting at the door, and saying, Eat ye bread of secrecies willingly, and drink ye stolen waters which are sweet: she seduced me, because she found my soul dwelling abroad in the eye of my flesh, and ruminating on such food as through it I had devoured.

For evil has no positive nature; but the loss of good has received the name "evil."

For how could I justly be blamed and prohibited from loving false things, if it were false that I loved them?

We maintain that when a woman is violated while her soul admits no consent to the iniquity, but remains inviolably chaste, the sin is not hers, but his who violates her.

Sound judgment is to be preferred even to examples, and indeed examples harmonize with the voice of reason; but not all examples, but those only which are distinguished by their piety, and are proportionately worthy of imitation.

Therefore the good man, although he is a slave, is free; but the bad man, even if he reigns, is a slave.

An unjust law is no law at all.

Beauty is indeed a good gift of God; but that the good may not think it a great good, God dispenses it even to the wicked.

Charity is no substitute for justice withheld.

You can live, provided you live; that is, you can live for ever, provided you live a good life.

The fellow who eggs you on to avenge yourself will rob you of what you were going to say as we forgive our debtors. When you have forfeited that, all your sins will be held against you; absolutely nothing is forgiven.