I will follow my logic, no matter where it goes, after it has consulted with my heart. If you ever come to a conclusion without calling the heart in, you will come to a bad conclusion.
Robert Green IngersollRead
In all ages, hypocrites, called priests, have put crowns upon the heads of thieves, called kings.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the hypocrisy of religious and political authority, suggesting that those who are seen as virtuous often support corrupt leaders.
Robert Green Ingersoll's quote highlights the hypocrisy that has persisted throughout history, where individuals or institutions that present themselves as moral authorities (hypocrites) in the form of priests, endorse and legitimize those who commit acts of thievery or corruption (the kings). This statement serves to challenge the moral integrity of both religious and political figures, pointing out the incompatibility between their proclamations of virtue and the reality of their actions.
Themes
HypocrisyAuthorityCorruptionMoralityReligionPolitics
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech addressing the importance of accountability among leaders.
More from Robert Green Ingersoll
All quotes βIf the guardians of society, the protectors of 'young persons,' could have had their way, we should have known nothing of Byron or Shelley. The voices that thrill the world would now be silent.
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The religion that has to be supported by law is without value, not only, but a fraud and a curse. The religious argument that has to be supported by a musket is hardly worth making.
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In all ages the people have honored those who dishonored them. They have worshiped their destroyers; they have canonized the most gigantic liars, and buried the great thieves in marble and gold. Under the loftiest monuments sleeps the dust of murder.
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I believe that there is something far nobler than loyalty to any particular man. Loyalty to the truth as we perceive it - loyalty to our duty as we know it - loyalty to the ideals of our brain and heart - is, to my mind, far greater and far nobler than loyalty to the life of any particular man or God. . . .
Robert Green IngersollRead
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