John McCain Quotes

Whereas religions may serve a benign purpose by letting many people feel comfortable with the level of morality they themselves can attain, no religion holds its members to the high standards of moral responsibility that the secular world of science and medicine does!

The oppressed must never allow the conscience of the oppressor to slumber. Religion reminds every man that he is his brother's keeper.

Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity. Those who clearly recognize the voice of their own conscience usually recognize also the voice of justice.

There is a higher law than the law of government. That's the law of conscience.

Distance does not decide who is your brother and who is not. The church is going to have to become the conscience of the free market if it's to have any meaning in this world - and stop being its apologist.

Nations cannot endure in sin.

In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics.

All politics is an extension of ethics ... We cannot leave out conscience at the caucus room door.

… the first duty of society is justice.

A man of true honor protects the unwritten word which binds his conscience more scrupulously, if possible, than he does the bond a breach of which subjects him to legal liabilities, and the United States, in aiming to maintain itself as one of the most enlightened nations, would do its citizens gross injustice if it applied to its international relations any other than a high standard of honor and morality.

The man who barely abstains from violating either the person, or the estate, or the reputation of his neighbours, has surely very little positive merit. He fulfils, however, all the rules of what is peculiarly called justice, and does every thing which his equals can with propriety force him to do, or which they can punish him for not doing. We may often fulfil all the rules of justice by sitting still and doing nothing.

Science is a magnificent force, but it is not a teacher of morals. It can perfect machinery, but it adds no moral restraints to protect society from the misuse of the machine. It can also build gigantic intellectual ships, but it constructs no moral rudders for the control of storm tossed human vessel. It not only fails to supply the spiritual element needed but some of its unproven hypotheses rob the ship of its compass and thus endangers its cargo.

In order for non-violence to work, your opponent must have a conscience. The United States has none.

While I'm the Attorney General, we will address each issue with one question: What's the right thing to do?

We're supposed to be an example of freedom, and if we are doing things that are injustice to people, then what is our statement?

If there is anything I am about, it is I want justice in society.

You have to have people who prick the consciences of the nation.

If you impose morality on people, they will find ways to circumvent their guilt. They will make offerings to temples - or other places of worship - but also continue doing things that make them feel guilty.

In 'Maatr,' we do not justify taking the law into our hands. That's not the right thing to do. We are not promoting that.

What's right is right, and what's wrong is wrong. That's how I live my life.

They're the last human beings susceptible to human shame. Politicians are the only people left for whom, occasionally, shame hurts them. Everyone else, we've sort of done away with it as a concept, and we're hurtling through space like animals, basically.

We all, as individuals, can and should act compassionately and charitably. We can volunteer our time, energy, and dollars to help the underprivileged. We can feed the hungry, house the homeless. Most of us feel a moral and ethical responsibility to do so - to 'do unto others.'

All of us are driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won't do - that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.

Without Virtue there can be no liberty

Consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds, but law, morality and leadership demand it. Without consistency, there is privilege.