I'm not sure anything makes you an outright good person or bad person - that we're all capable of doing good or bad things. And if you want to know how much good you can do, and how much hurt you can do, just ask somebody you love.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that morality is complex and that everyone is capable of both good and bad actions. It emphasizes the importance of seeking feedback from loved ones to understand one's impact.
In this quote, Pete Buttigieg reflects on the nuanced nature of human morality, asserting that people are neither purely good nor bad, but rather are capable of a range of actions that can have positive or negative effects. He indicates that our loved ones can provide insightful perspectives on our behavior, revealing how we contribute to the lives of others, and highlighting the importance of self-awareness and reflection in our moral journeys.
In practice
In a discussion about morality with friends, you could quote this to highlight the complexity of human behavior.
'Freedom' means a lot to conservatives, but they have such a narrow sense of what it means. They think a lot about freedom from - freedom from government, freedom from regulation - and precious little about freedom to. Freedom to is absolutely something that has to be safeguarded by good government, just as it could be impaired by bad government.
We need to intentionally invest in health, in home ownership, in entrepreneurship, in access to democracy, in economic empowerment. If we don't do these things, we shouldn't be surprised that racial inequality persists because inequalities compound.
My understanding of my faith is that - through a Christian framework - part of what we are called to do is to lay down our own self-interests, after the model of divinity that comes into this world in the form of Christ and lays down his life. And in order to do that, you have to care about something or someone more than yourself.
Physically robust infrastructure is not enough if it fails to foster a healthy community; ultimately, all infrastructure is social.
So much of politics is about people's relationships with themselves. You do better if you make people feel secure in who they are.
Experiences with friends or family members coming out have helped millions of Americans to see past stereotypes and better understand what being gay is - and is not.
Indeed, there is nothing more arbitrary than intervening as a stranger in a destiny which is not ours.
Because men believe not in Providence, therefore they do so greedily scrape and hoard. They do not believe in any reward for charity, therefore they will part with nothing.
Morality which depends upon the helplessness of a man or woman has not much to recommend it. Morality is rooted in the purity of our hearts.
One can acquire everything in solitude except character.
The most refined skills of color printing, the intricate techniques of wide-angle photography, provide us pictures of trivia bigger and more real than life. We forget that we see trivia and notice only that the reproduction is so good. Man fulfils his dream and by photographic magic produces a precise image of the Grand Canyon. The result is not that he adores nature or beauty the more. Instead he adores his camera - and himself.
It is the end. But of what? The end of France? No. The end of kings? Yes.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.