Good Moral Quotes

• Good moral character is the first essential in a man.

  George Washington

  Character, Men, Essentials

  George Washington (1855). “Maxims of Washington: Political, Social, Moral, and Religious”, p.314

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• To point out the importance of circumspection in your conduct, it may be proper to observe that a good moral character is the first essential in a man, and that the habits contracted at your age are generally indelible, and your conduct here may stamp your character through life. It is therefore highly important that you should endeavor not only to be learned but virtuous.

  George Washington

  Character, Men, Important

  George Washington (1983). “The Papers of George Washington”

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• The corrupt, when found out, become especially good moralists.

  Robert Payne

  Found, Moralist

  Robert Payne (1975). “The Corrupt Society: From Ancient Greece to Present-Day America”, Praeger Publishers

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• Ethics, too, are nothing but reverence for life. This is what gives me the fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, promoting, and enhancing life, and that destroying, injuring, and limiting life are evil.

  Albert Schweitzer

  Inspirational Life, Integrity, Evil

  Albert Schweitzer (1932). “Civilization and ethics. 3d. ed”

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• Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you, and act accordingly.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Life, Character, World

  "The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private".

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• The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back.

  Abigail Van Buren

  Life, Friendship, Family

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• Good manners are a part of good morals.

  Richard Whately

  Good Man, Moral, Manners

  Richard Whately (1856). “Thoughts and Apophthegms: From the Writings of Archbishop Whateley”, p.244

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• We are justified in enforcing good morals, for they belong to all mankind; but we are not justified in enforcing good manners, for good manners always mean our own manners.

  Gilbert K. Chesterton

  Mean, Morality, Justified

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• The flute is not an instrument that has a good moral effect - it is too exciting.

  Plato

  Flutes, Moral, Instruments

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• He that has not religion to govern his morality, is not a dram better than my mastiff-dog; so long as you stroke him, and please him, and do not pinch him, he will play with you as finely as may be, he is a very good moral mastiff; but if you hurt him, he will fly in your face, and tear out your throat.

  John Selden

  Dog, Hurt, Play

  John Selden (1800). “The Table-talk: Of John Selden, Esq. Being His Sense of Various Matters of Weight and High Consequence; Relating Especially to Religion and State”, p.75

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• Religion is the solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man toward God.

  Gouverneur Morris

  Men, Moral, Should

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• All are agreed, that the increase of learning and good morals are great blessings to society.

  Joseph Lancaster

  Blessing, Moral, Increase

  Joseph Lancaster (1807). “Improvements in Education, as it Respects the Industrious Classes of the Community: Containing Among Other Important Particulars, an Account of the Institution for the Education of One Thousand Poor Children, Borough Road, Southwark; and of the New System of Education on which it is Conducted”, p.151

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• Good moral character is not something that we can achieve on our own. We need a culture that supports the conditions under which self-love and friendship flourish.

  Aristotle

  Character, Self, Support

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• A good moral character is the first essential. It is highly important not only to be learned but to be virtuous.

  George Washington

  Character, Important, Essentials

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• Bad company ruins good morals.

  Paul the Apostle

  Ruins, Morality, Bad Company

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• The Bible is full of interest. It has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and some good morals; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies. This Bible is built mainly out of fragments of older Bibles that had their day and crumbled to ruin. So it noticeably lacks in originality, necessarily. Its three or four most imposing and impressive events all happened in earlier Bibles; there are only two new things in it: hell, for one, and that singular heaven I have told you about.

  Mark Twain

  Clever, Lying, Blood

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• One who claimed what Jesus claimed about himself couldn't be a good moral man or a prophet. That option isn't open to us, and Jesus never intended it to be.

  Josh McDowell

  Jesus, Men, Moral

  Josh McDowell (1977). “More Than a Carpenter”, Tyndale House Pub

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• About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.

  Ernest Hemingway

  Inspiring, Feel Good, Afternoon

  Death in the Afternoon ch. 1 (1932)

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• What is moral is what you feel good after.

  Ernest Hemingway

  Feel Good, Afternoon, Ethics And Morals

  Death in the Afternoon ch. 1 (1932)

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• The whole speculation about morality is an effort to find a way of living which men who live it will instinctively feel is good.

  Walter Lippmann

  Men, Effort, Way

  Walter Lippmann (1914). “A Preface to Politics”

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• Whatever is, and is not ashamed to be, is good.

  Henry David Thoreau

  Morality, Ashamed

  Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1865). “Letters to Various Persons”, p.194

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• I think we have to give religion its due. I think we have to respect those for whom religion is important, but equally respect those who can achieve good morality without religion.

  Alan Dershowitz

  Thinking, Giving, Important

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• The education of young citizens ought to form them to good manners, to accustom them to labor, to inspire them with a love of order, and to impress them with respect for. lawful authority. Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man towards God.

  Gouverneur Morris

  Education, Men, Order

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• Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man toward God. These duties are, internally, love and adoration: externally, devotion and obedience; therefore provision should be made for maintaining divine worship as well as education. But each one has a right to entire liberty as to religious opinions, for religion is the relation between God and man; therefore it is not within the reach of human authority.

  Gouverneur Morris

  Religious, Men, Liberty

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• Whether we had a (good) moral intuition more developed, we would be as much morally disgusted by the rapacity of those who try to benefit from, and monopolize (or secure or corner), having no consideration (regardless or irrespective of) for others ("autrui", Fr.), than we physically are by a sickening (or nauseating) smell.

  African Spir

  Smell, Intuition, Trying

  "Paroles d'un sage: Choix de pensées d'African Spir" ("Words of a Sage : Selected thoughts of African Spir") by Hélène Claparède-Spir, (p. 43), 1937.

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