QuoteProject
It is truly enough said that a corporation has no conscience, but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience.
Henry David Thoreau
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

A corporation itself lacks ethics unless guided by the moral principles of its individuals.

This quote highlights the idea that while a corporation, as an entity, does not possess a conscience, it can exhibit ethical behavior when the individuals within it hold strong moral values. It suggests that the integrity of a corporation relies on the conscientiousness of its members, emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility in collective actions.

Themes

CorporationConscienceEthicsMoralityIndividuals

In practice

Example use cases

In a corporate meeting discussing ethical practices, one might say, 'As Thoreau said, it's the conscientious individuals in the corporation that bring about moral action.'

More from Henry David Thoreau

None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Through want of enterprise and faith men are where they are, buying and selling and spending their lives like servants.
Henry David ThoreauRead
An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.
Henry David ThoreauRead
Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable.
Henry David ThoreauRead
As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.
Henry David ThoreauRead
That grand old poem called Winter
Henry David ThoreauRead

Similar quotes

He always pictured himself a libertarian, which to my way of thinking means "I want the liberty to grow rich and you can have the liberty to starve". It's easy to believe that no one should depend on society for help when you yourself happen not to need such help.
Isaac AsimovRead
Feminism began to dawn on my brain belatedly in life.
Gloria SteinemRead
The vast numbers of people who suffer some kind of mental illness under capitalism can either think, 'there is some failing with me, if only I could fit into this system better, if only I were working harder, if only I could enjoy these empty pleasures more, then things would be OK' or 'the problem is with the system that is making me ill.'
Mark FisherRead
People are only mean when they're threatened… and that's what our culture does. That's what our economy does. Even people who have jobs in our economy are threatened, because they worry about losing them. And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself. You start making money a god. It is all part of this culture.
Morrie SchwartzRead
It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted; precisely because most things are permitted and only a few things forbidden.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference.
VoltaireRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.