The ‚morality of compromise‘ sounds contradictory. Compromise is usually a sign of weakness, or an admission of defeat. Strong men don’t compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.

If you have to stand and fight, you train yourself so that you’re able to do it.

A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.

Reverence for life affords me my fundamental principle of morality.

Let’s pray that the human race never escapes from Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere.

The beautiful seems right by force of beauty, and the feeble wrong because of weakness.

Strength and compassion are not mutually exclusive.

We need to have business leaders who live by deep, strong principles.

Vanity of science. Knowledge of physical science will not console me for ignorance of morality in time of affliction, but knowledge of morality will always console me for ignorance of physical science.

My honour was not yielded, but conquered merely.

Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.

Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so.

I would hear stories about Steve Jobs and feel like he was at 100 percent exactly what he wanted to do, but I’m sure even a Steve Jobs has compromised. Even a Rick Owens has compromised. You know, even a Kanye West has compromised. Sometimes you don’t even know when you’re being compromised till after the fact, and that’s what you regret.

You have to be tough and have a lot of faith.

Right now, when we’re hearing so much disturbing and hateful rhetoric, it is so important to remember that our diversity has been – and will always be – our greatest source of strength and pride here in the United States.

Doctors will have more lives to answer for in the next world than even we generals.

Does anybody really think that they didn’t get what they had because they didn’t have the talent or the strength or the endurance or the commitment?

You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lines. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.

The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation than its wealth.

Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.

When I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad, and that’s my religion.

True nobility is exempt from fear.

It disturbs me no more to find men base, unjust, or selfish than to see apes mischievous, wolves savage, or the vulture ravenous.

I was raised to be an independent woman, not the victim of anything.

Mankind is not likely to salvage civilization unless he can evolve a system of good and evil which is independent of heaven and hell.

It is a fact that cannot be denied: the wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts.

Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.

For my part, I desire to see the time when education – and by its means, morality, sobriety, enterprise and industry – shall become much more general than at present, and should be gratified to have it in my power to contribute something to the advancement of any measure which might have a tendency to accelerate the happy period.

Morality which depends upon the helplessness of a man or woman has not much to recommend it. Morality is rooted in the purity of our hearts.

Money, not morality, is the principle commerce of civilized nations.

A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.

I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don’t trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week, if there is anything to be got by it.

The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it.

Tears shed for self are tears of weakness, but tears shed for others are a sign of strength.

Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.

The minute you start compromising for the sake of massaging somebody’s ego, that’s it, game over.

I knew through the surgeries that he was on my side and that this wasn’t something where I was gonna feel less of a woman, because my husband wasn’t gonna let that happen.

Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.

It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.

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.

I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill.

You can tell the strength of a nation by the women behind its men.

No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise. But when Governor Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy – well, you do the math. I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I’m President, I never will.

It’s better to be good than evil, but one achieves goodness at a terrific cost.

I glory in the distinguishing grace of God and will not, by the grace of God, step one inch from my principles or think of adhering to the present fashionable sort of religion.

So far as I am concerned, I could not be accused of having set eyes, or having wished to set eyes, upon Darius‘ wife: on the contrary, I have refused even to listen to those who spoke to me of her beauty.

We acquire the strength we have overcome.

To say that you can kill in the name of God is blasphemy.

Follow your honest convictions and be strong.

The U.S. military is not war weary. Our military draws strength from confronting our enemies when clear policy objectives are set and we are fully resourced for the fight.

My mom cleaned toilets for a long time, and she’d seen a lot of terrible things, but she was still the strength of our family. And there are women like that all across the country – all around the world – who show that type of fortitude.

I know why we’re strong. I know why we have held together; I know why we are united: it’s because there’s always been a growing middle class.

We are all ready to be savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause.

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

We want everybody to act like adults, quit playing games, realize that it’s not just my way or the highway.

People often speak of God being even-handed. God is not even-handed. God is biased, in favor of the weak, of the despised.

The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.

Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.

I would rather die than do something which I know to be a sin, or to be against God’s will.

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.