Humanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers of objective truth. What humanity own to personalities like Buddha, Moses, and Jesus ranks for me higher than all the achievements of the of the inquiring constructive mind.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
The recognition of the sanctity of the life of every man is the first and only basis of all morality.
—Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) Russian Novelist
It is too probable that no plan we propose will be adopted. Perhaps another dreadful conflict is to be sustained. If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.
—George Washington (1732–99) American Head of State, Military Leader
In law, a man is guilty when he violates the rights of another. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so.
—Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) Prussian German Philosopher, Logician
Ethical religion can be real only to those who are engaged in ceaseless efforts at moral improvement. By moving upward we acquire faith in an upward movement, without limit.
—Felix Adler (1851–1933) German-Born American Philosopher
The simplest and shortest ethical precept is to be served as little as possible . . . and to serve others as much as possible.
—Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) Russian Novelist
I say statecraft is soulcraft. Just as all education is moral education because learning conditions conduct, most legislation is moral legislations because it conditions the action and the thought of the nation in broad and important spheres in life.
—George Will (b.1941) American Columnist, Journalist, Writer
The darkest hour in the history of any young man is when he sits down to study how to get money without honestly earning it.
—Horace Greeley (1811–72) American Elected Rep, Politician, Reformer, Editor
I do not believe in the immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern without any superhuman authority behind it.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Let me give you the definition of ethics: it is good to maintain life and to further life. It is bad to damage and destroy life. And this ethic, profound and universal, has the significance of a religion. It is religion.
—Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) French Theologian, Musician, Philosopher, Physician
But when we get enough people who don’t care, and who don’t accept personal responsibility for high ethical standards, our organization gets the “M” disease. Mediocrity. Anybody in the place can be a carrier. By the same token, every individual can carry the cure: the ethics of excellence.
—Price Pritchett
What is morally wrong can never be advantageous, even when it enables you to make some gain that you believe to be to your advantage. The mere act of believing that some wrongful course of action constitutes an advantage is pernicious.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Actually, there is only one “first question” of government, and it is “How should we live?” or “What kind of people do we want our citizens to be?”
—George Will (b.1941) American Columnist, Journalist, Writer
We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to the values, principles, and education they need to make them good citizens.
—Sandra Day O’Connor (b.1930) American Jurist
Ethics and equity and the principles of justice do not change with the calendar.
—D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) English Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Essayist, Literary Critic
The ethics of excellence require a sense of perspective. Look at the big picture. If you live for the moment, do you mortgage the future? What happens if you put your reputation at risk . . . and lose the bet?
—Price Pritchett
The three hardest tasks in the world are neither physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but moral acts: to return love for hate, to include the excluded, and to say, “I was wrong.”
—Sydney J. Harris (1917–86) American Essayist, Drama Critic
He who approves evil is guilty of it.
—Indian Proverb
There is a universal moral law, as distinct from a moral code, which consists of certain statements of fact about the nature of man, and by behaving in conformity with which, man may enjoy his true freedom.
—Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) British Crime Writer
We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living.
—Omar Bradley (1893–1981) American Military Leader
Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way. We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
Ethics is in origin the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation with oneself.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
We all faced painful ethical challenges before we even knew how to spell our names. There were tough choices. Tradeoffs. Confusing signals regarding how to live one’s life. And here we are now, today, still struggling. Still trying to sort things out. Still trying to work our way through life effectively. About the only thing that has changed is the scope of the problem. There’s more at stake now. And we’re in a position, as grownups, to do a lot more-good or bad-for ourselves, our organization, our world. But we still must wrestle with our imperfect ethics.
—Price Pritchett
Piety and morality are but the same spirit differently manifested. Piety is religion with its fact toward God; morality is religion with its fact toward the world.
—Tryon Edwards American Theologian
Men of integrity, by their very existence, rekindle the belief that as a people we can live above the level of moral squalor. We need that belief; a cynical community is a corrupt community.
—John W. Gardner (1912–2002) American Activist
Your ethical muscle grows stronger every time you choose right over wrong.
—Price Pritchett
Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Ethical dilemmas have a way of sneaking up on a person. If something smells funny, stay away from it. Or help get rid of it.
—Price Pritchett
It is the mark of the cultured man that he is aware of the fact that equality is an ethical and not a biological principle
—Ashley Montagu (1905–1999) British-American Anthropologist
The act of acting morally is behaving as if everything we do matters.
—Gloria Steinem (b.1934) American Feminist, Journalist, Social Activist, Political Activist
Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
—Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American Poet
People need religion. It’s a vehicle for a moral tradition. A crucial role. Nothing can take its place.
—Irving Kristol (1920–2009) American Political Writer, Publisher
Every aspect of Western culture needs a new code of ethics—a rational ethics—as a precondition of rebirth.
—Ayn Rand (1905–82) Russian-born American Novelist, Philosopher
There is, therefore, only one categorical imperative. It is: Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.
—Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) Prussian German Philosopher, Logician
True morality consists no in following the beaten track, but in finding out the true path for ourselves and fearlessly following it.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less than a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must—in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures—and that is the basis of all morality.
—John F. Kennedy (1917–63) American Head of State, Journalist
An ethical person ought to do more than he’s required to do and less than he’s allowed to do
—Indian Proverb
When it comes to practicing good ethics, saying no to a vice is not good enough. A quality life is never achieved by focusing on the elimination of what is wrong. True success requires you to focus your mental, emotional, and spiritual energies on pursuing that which is right and good. Trying to become virtuous merely by excluding vice is as unrealistic as trying to cultivate roses simply by eliminating weeds.
—Gary Ryan Blair
The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
—Omar Bradley (1893–1981) American Military Leader
It was once said that the moral test of Government is how that Government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped
—Hubert Humphrey (1911–78) American Head of State, Politician
Live according to the ethics of excellence, and you can always stand proud. Pride – not vanity, but dignity and self-respect – should carry a lot of weight in helping you make decisions. Let pride help you decide.
—Price Pritchett
The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Excellence calls for character . . . integrity . . . fairness . . . honesty . . . a determination to do what’s right. High ethical standards, across the board.
—Price Pritchett
A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.
—Albert Camus (1913–60) Algerian-born French Philosopher, Dramatist, Essayist, Novelist, Author
The ethics of excellence are grounded in action – what you actually do, rather than what you say you believe. Talk, as the saying goes, is cheap.
—Price Pritchett
The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be. The more weapons you have, the less secure people will be.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
To care for anyone else enough to make their problems one’s own, is ever the beginning of one’s real ethical development.
—Felix Adler (1851–1933) German-Born American Philosopher
Notice that “I” is at the center of the word “ethical.” There is no “they.” Achieving the ethics of excellence is our individual assignment.
—Price Pritchett