I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.

The more violent the storm, the quicker it passes.

To say that authority, whether secular or religious, supplies no ground for morality is not to deny the obvious fact that it supplies a sanction.

Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.

But the relationship of morality and power is a very subtle one. Because ultimately power without morality is no longer power.

We will stand up for our friends in the world. And one of the most important friends is the State of Israel. My administration will be steadfast in support Israel against terrorism and violence, and in seeking the peace for which all Israelis pray.

There never was a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.

Colombia has been the leading western recipient of U.S. arms and training as violence has grown through the ’90s.

No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expedience.

It is perfectly possible to live a very moral life without a belief in God, and I think it’s perfectly possible to live a life peppered with ill-doing and believe in God.

The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.

We just seem to have lost all our morals and principles and values these days.

There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.

After the first blush of sin comes its indifference.

Desire of having is the sin of covetousness.

The truth is, hardly any of us have ethical energy enough for more than one really inflexible point of honor.

In the game of cricket, a hero is a person who respects the game and does not corrupt the game. The one who doesn’t or corrupts the game, they are the villain. They should be punished, and they have been punished in the past.

Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself.

It is the failing of youth not to be able to restrain its own violence.

To suffer the penalty of too much haste, which is too little speed.

But does that mean that war and violence are inevitable? I would argue not because we have also evolved this amazingly sophisticated intellect, and we are capable of controlling our innate behavior a lot of the time.

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.

Those who have virtue always in their mouths, and neglect it in practice, are like a harp, which emits a sound pleasing to others, while itself is insensible of the music.

When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself a public property.

To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last – but eat you he will.

What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.

Good men must not obey the laws too well.

I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.

Knowledge becomes evil if the aim be not virtuous.

The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor led to many very good things. If you follow the trail, it led to kicking Europeans out of Asia – that saved tens of millions of lives in India alone.

Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that ‚Oryx and Crake‘ is anti-science. Science is a way of knowing, and a tool. Like all ways of knowing and tools, it can be turned to bad uses. And it can be bought and sold, and it often is. But it is not in itself bad. Like electricity, it’s neutral.

When anger rises, think of the consequences.

The word ‚good‘ has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.

Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking.

What is human warfare but just this; an effort to make the laws of God and nature take sides with one party.

If men were born free, they would, so long as they remained free, form no conception of good and evil.

There is so much that must be done in a civilized barbarism like war.

Where is the justice of political power if it executes the murderer and jails the plunderer, and then itself marches upon neighboring lands, killing thousands and pillaging the very hills?

For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly.

A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.

Virtue cannot separate itself from reality without becoming a principle of evil.

Justice is expensive in America. There are no Free Passes… You might want to remember this, the next time you get careless and blow off a few Parking Tickets. They will come back to haunt you the next time you see a Cop car in your rear-view mirror.

Humanitarianism consists in never sacrificing a human being to a purpose.

My speculation is that the U.S. does not want to establish the principle that it has to defer to some higher authority before carrying out the use of violence.

I worked in ad sales. I would call up local businesses and try to get them to buy ads in the paper. The whole time, I felt like I was just scamming people.

I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.

So long as governments set the example of killing their enemies, private individuals will occasionally kill theirs.

The most dangerous criminal now is the entirely lawless modern philosopher. Compared to him, burglars and bigamists are essentially moral men.

Woe to him that claims obedience when it is not due; woe to him that refuses it when it is.

I think ‚Dirty Harry‘ was probably sensitive toward the victims of violent crime.

War is evil, but it is often the lesser evil.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

The time has come for all evangelists to practice full financial disclosure. The world is watching how we walk and how we talk. We must have the highest standards of morality, ethics and integrity if we are to continue to have influence.

Fame is like a river, that beareth up things light and swollen, and drowns things weighty and solid.

There’s no difference between one’s killing and making decisions that will send others to kill. It’s exactly the same thing, or even worse.

Science never solves a problem without creating ten more.

Children say that people are hung sometimes for speaking the truth.

The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves to it.

Leaders who fail to prune their pride will meet demise. That’s not a guess, it’s a guarantee. With pride, it’s not a matter of ‚if‘ we will fall, but ‚when.‘ There are no exceptions.

The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroad; they may be allowed to lie for the good of the state.

True virtue is life under the direction of reason.