Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

That's a central part of philosophy, of ethics. What do I owe to strangers? What do I owe to my family? What is it to live a good life? Those are questions which we face as individuals.

Obedience to the law is itself a moral duty.

It is the duty of a citizen not only to observe the law but to let it be known that he is opposed to its violation.

Law is not self-executing. Unfortunately, at times its execution rests in the hands of those who are faithless to it. And even when its enforcement is committed to those who revere it, law merely deters some human beings from offending, and punishes other human beings for offending. This does not make men good. This task can be performed only by ethics or religion or morality.

I know some say, let us have good laws, and no matter for the men that execute them: but let them consider, that though good laws do well, good men do better: for good laws may want good men, and be abolished or evaded by ill mend but good men will never want good laws, nor suffer ill ones.

Law is, for the most part, positive or mandatory. It prescribes certain duties which I am to do as the condition of my civic protection. Conscience is, for the most part, negative or prohibitory in its operation. It sets before me certain evils to be undone or repented of. Thus law aims to exalt its subject, or make him conventionally righteous; while conscience aims to humiliate him

Laws are only observed with the consent of the individuals concerned and a moral change still depends on the individual and not on the passage of any law.

In any society that is governed by the rule of law, some form of morality is always imposed. It's inescapable.

Obedience of the law is demanded; not asked as a favor.

I think the first duty of society is justice.

I followed the law. Before God, before the law, before the people of the state of Florida who elected me, I know that I followed the law.

Justice is a certain rectitude of mind whereby a man does what he ought to do in the circumstances confronting him.

In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics. Each is indispensable to civilization. Without law, we should be at the mercy of the least scrupulous; without ethics, law could not exist.

Our duty is to stand up for those who do the right thing.

When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law.

Law is that which commands what is right and prohibits what is wrong.

As laws are necessary that good manners may be preserved, so good manners are necessary that laws may be maintained.

Law alone cannot make men see right.

As long as the law exists, there will be morality.

When you enforce the laws of the state, you don’t get to pick and choose.

Civilization depends on morality.

The law is the public conscience.

No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man's permission when we require him to obey it. Obedience to the law is demanded as a right; not asked as a favor.

Morality is the object of government.

Virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.