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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• 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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• Good morals lead to good laws.

  Chuck Norris

  Law, Moral

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• Our errors and our controversies, in the sphere of morality, arise sometimes from looking on men as though they could be altogether bad, or altogether good.

  Luc de Clapiers

  Men, Errors, Spheres

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• Now, it is well known, that a man may with more impunity be guilty of an actual breach either of real good breeding or of good morals, than appear ignorant of the most minute point of fashionable etiquette.

  Walter Scott

  Real, Men, Ignorant

  Sir Walter Scott (1855). “The waverly novels”, p.440

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• Bad company ruins good morals.

  Paul the Apostle

  Ruins, Morality, Bad Company

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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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• I'm very, very, very, very spiritual. I grew up in an organized religion, I went to Sunday school as a kid. I'm very grateful that there was religion. I think it instills a good moral compass.

  Taryn Manning

  Spiritual, Grateful, School

  Source: www.esquire.com

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• The fact that a belief has a good moral effect upon a man is no evidence whatsoever in favor of its truth. I'm not contending in a dogmatic way that there is not a God. What I'm contending is that we don't know that there is. I don't like the word "absolute." I don't think there is anything absolute whatever. The moral law, for example, is always changing. At one period in the development of the human race, almost everybody thought cannibalism was a duty.

  Bertrand Russell

  Men, Thinking, Law

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• I was twenty when I discovered war and photography. I can't say that I wanted to bear witness and change the world. I had no good moral reasons: I just loved adventure, I loved the poetry of war, the poetry of chaos, and I found that there was a kind of grace in weaving between the bullets.

  Luc Delahaye

  Photography, War, Adventure

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• I didn't grow up in one of those restrictive Christian households where you couldn't do this or that. We were brought up with a great collection of good morals and good values, but we also had fun. We'd go to church on Sunday, but then have ice cream, roller skate or play in the park afterwards.

  Yolanda Adams

  Christian, Growing Up, Fun

  "Yolanda Adams 'How Sweet The Sound'". Interview with Kam Williams, newsblaze.com. October 23, 2012.

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• I like doing movies that have good messages and have good moral backgrounds to them and things like that - and send out positive messages.

  Kevin Sorbo

  Messages, Moral, Backgrounds

  "From “Hercules” to “Christmas Angel”: Kevin Sorbo talks about his personal journey and his role in GMC TV’s new yuletide film about the value of human kindness". Interview with John W. Kennedy, www.beliefnet.com.

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• There's a gigantic gray area between good moral behavior and outright felonious activities. I call that the Weasel Zone and it's where most of life happens.

  Scott Adams

  Moral Behavior, Life Happens, Gray Area

  "Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel". Book by Scott Adams, 2002.

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