They're ugly, but those are the facts of life.
Harper LeeRead
The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A person's conscience is independent and cannot be swayed by majority opinion.
This quote emphasizes the idea that individual moral judgment, or conscience, is a personal and intrinsic compass that guides decisions and actions, regardless of the beliefs or opinions of the larger group. It suggests that true integrity comes from within and that one should remain true to their own values and beliefs even when faced with external pressures to conform.
Themes
ConscienceIntegrityMoralityIndividualityBelief
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about personal ethics and integrity.
More from Harper Lee
All quotes →It's better to be silent than to be a fool.
Harper LeeRead
Don’t talk like that, Dill,” said Aunt Alexandra. “It’s not becoming to a child. It’s – cynical.” “I ain’t cynical, Miss Alexandra. Tellin’ the truth’s not cynical, is it?” “The way you tell it, it is.
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With him, life was routine; without him, life was unbearable.
Harper LeeRead
He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.
Harper LeeRead
You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't.
Harper LeeRead
Similar quotes
We live in a society in which it seems that every space, every moment must be 'filled' with initiatives, activity, sound; often there is not even time to listen and dialogue... Let us not be afraid to be silent outside and inside ourselves, so that we are able not only to perceive God's voice, but also the voice of the person next to us, the voices of others.
Pope Benedict XviRead
With some people solitariness is an escape not from others but from themselves. For they see in the eyes of others only a reflection of themselves.
Eric HofferRead
The philosopher creates, he doesn't reflect.
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No one can get inner peace by pouncing on it, by vigorously willing to have it ... Peace is a consciousness of springs too deep for earthly droughts to dry up. Peace is the gift not of volitional struggle but of spiritual hospitality.
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For there is no one so great or mighty that he can avoid the misery that will rise up against him when he resists and strives against God.
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Any pleasure that does no harm to other people is to be valued.
Bertrand RussellRead