Jonathan Nolan Quotes

Innocence alone dares commit certain acts of audacity. Virtue, when tutored, is as calculating as vice.

Forgiveness is a CHOICE, not a feeling.

Chronic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.

People say time heals all wounds. Let me tell you, time heals nothing. You can do the wrong thing for 10 years and it doesn't equal the right thing for one day.

Forgive, but don't forget

There is a heroism in crime as well as in virtue. Vice and infamy have their altars and their religion.

Virtue must be valuable, if men and women of all degrees pretend to have it.

Let none of us delude himself by supposing that honesty is always the best policy. It is not.

Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.

Hypocrisy is not a way of getting back to the moral high ground. Pretending you're moral, saying your moral is not the same as acting morally.

Evil is a source of moral intelligence in the sense that we need to learn from our shadow, from our dark side, in order to be good.

To see the right and not to do it is cowardice.

I want people to come away from my book with questions. Questions about virtue and goodness. Not answers.

The time has come for all good men to rise above principle.

Many people think that virtue consists of severity towards others.

I can still love an ex as a person, regardless if the breakup was bad. I would never wish anything negative on them. It takes more energy to hate them than to wish them well.

It is a grand mistake to think of being great without goodness and I pronounce it as certain that there was never a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.

Knowledge without justice ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom.

I have a hard time with morals. All I know is what feels right, what's more important to me is being honest about who you are. Morals I get a little hung up on.

Most virtue is a demand for greater seduction.

Greatness and goodness are not means, but ends.

Revenge is easy, but forgiveness requires courage.

Our virtues are often, in reality, no better than vices disguised.

Reconciliation is a decision that you take in your heart.

The truth brings with it a great measure of absolution, always.