Abraham Lincoln Quotes

It didn't occur to me to go into something that didn't have an ethical return for me.

The ends do not justify the means. The means are the ends.

I frankly don't care if you agree with my stand on abortion. I take that stand because no other stand is consistent with decent principles, and no other standard is consistent with the will of God.

Greatness is not manifested by unlimited pragmatism, which places such a high premium on the end justifying any means and any methods.

At the end of the day, if there are truly ethical considerations, those have to override scientific considerations.

At times, morality can be dismissed as a matter of personal conscience, no matter how widespread its acceptance. Ethics, on the other hand, arises from societal or group commitments to principia of behavior.

Selling out is doing something you don't really want to do for money. That's what selling out is.

It may not have the virtuous ring of the golden rule, but the maxim 'never say never' is one of the most important in ethics.

Ethics are not necessarily to do with being law-abiding. I am very interested in the moral path, doing the right thing.

Enhanced interrogation is not to be considered lightly, but the use of enhanced interrogation techniques does not require moral people to abandon their beliefs. Rather, it is precisely during these difficult times that one's beliefs about life, justice and mercy become indispensible.

Now here is a departure from the first principle of true ethics. Here we find ideas of moral wrong and moral right associated with something else than beneficial action. The consequent is, we lose sight of the real basis of morals, and substitute a false one.

If the Soviet Government orders me to act against my conscience, I do not obey …. Conscience is above the law. No law which is against the conscience can bind.

I think my moral ground is very much intact.

I get frustrated with films that entertain me but ultimately dodge a moral question about how you should try and live.

Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains, rather than do an immoral act.

For I can raise no money by vile means. By heaven, I had rather coin my heart, And drop my blood for drachmas

I don't really consider this a political issue, I consider it to be a moral issue.

It's easier to be hedonistic and just chase after whatever appeals to your senses. That's the life of an animal, you just do. It's more difficult to stand by your convictions and have people berate you on both sides and feel like there's no home for you.

You cannot make your opportunities concur with the opportunities of people whose incomes are ten times greater than yours.

I am a moralist. I worry.

Without integrity and conscience we lose our freedom.

Don't pretend that you can just be oblivious to politics. You can't. What you never do is break your personal code. Have a code and keep it. You should never compromise what your priorities are.

You feel the intense desire to do good, to do right thing. At this stage, you also feel helpless.

Integrity is not a given factor in everyone's life. It is a result of self-discipline, inner trust, and a decision to be relentlessly honest in all situations in our lives.

Nothing but the right can ever be expedient, since that can never be true expediency which would sacrifice a great good to a less.