John Lewis Quotes

An action, to have moral worth, must be done from duty.

Duty does not consist in suffering everything, but in suffering everything for duty. Sometimes, indeed, it is our duty not to suffer.

Every time we witness an act that we feel to be unjust and do not act, we become a party to injustice.

Moral obligation is to me so very strong a Stimulant, that in 9 cases out of ten it acts as a Narcotic. The Blow that should rouse, stuns me.

For duty, duty must be done; The rule applies to everyone.

It is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support. If I devote myself to other pursuits and contemplations, I must first see, at least, that I do not pursue them sitting upon another man's shoulders.

I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.

I feel that it is our moral obligation to stand and to be courageous with these families, and particularly Cindy, that have become the conscience of this nation.

There is no such thing as duty. If you know that a thing is right, you want to do it. If you don't want to do it - it isn't right. If it's right and you don't want to do it - you don't know what right is and you're not a man.

My obligation is to do the right thing. The rest is in God's hands.

It's up to us, the people, to break immoral laws, and resist.

Some laws are wrong, and we have an obligation to speak out against those laws wherever they are.

Men must be either the slaves of duty, or the slaves of force.

Duty is but a pot. It holds whatever is put in it, from the greatest evil to the greatest good.

One of the most destructive anti-concepts in the history of moral philosophy is the term 'duty.

If a sense of duty tortures a man, it also enables him to achieve prodigies.

Duty is what goes most against the grain, because in doing that we do only what we are strictly obliged to, and are seldom much praised for it.

Ethics is in its unqualified form extended responsibility with regard to everything that has life.

Obligation may be stretched till it is no better than a brand of slavery stamped on us when we were too young to know its meaning.

Life is moral responsibility.

Stern daughter of the voice of God! O Duty! if that name thou love Who art a light to guide, a rod To check the erring and reprove.

Morality rests upon a sense of obligation; and obligation has no meaning except as implying a Divine command, without which it would cease to be.

No vicarious charity can substitute for justice which is due as an obligation and is wrongfully denied.

There are moments in Life when keeping silent becomes a fault, and speaking an obligation. A civic duty, a moral challenge, a categorical imperative from which we cannot escape.

How can you ask someone to live in the world and not have something to say about injustice?