Responsibility quotes
5.3K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
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"If I am a pure product of genetic, cultural, or class determination, I have no responsibility for my action in the world and, therefore, it is not possible for me to speak of ethics. Of course, this assumption of responsibility does not mean that we are not conditioned genetically, culturally, and socially. It means that we know ourselves to be conditioned but not determined."
"If you complain of people being shot down in the streets, of the absence of communication or social responsibility, of the rise of everyday violence which people have become accustomed to, and the dehumanization of feelings, then the ultimate development on an organized social level is the concentration camp... The concentration camp is the final expression of human separateness and its ultimate consequence. It is organized abandonment."
"All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, it will not change you."
"For changes to be of any true value, they've got to be lasting and consistent. Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards... If you don't set a baseline standard for what you'll accept in life, you'll find it's easy to slip into behaviors and attitudes or a quality of life that's far below what you deserve... Whatever happens, take responsibility... The only thing that's keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself."
"Every right is married to a duty, every freedom owes a corresponding responsibility."
"Each of us has the power and responsibility to heal ourselves, to be our own medicine man or woman. Awakening our innate powers of being, loving, knowing, seeing, and healing involves ongoing work at all levels and in all dimensions of our self. Exploring the range of rhythms and emotions, achieving insights into our conditioning and ego, moving through the energy levels of spirit – these are all activities to be integrated into our daily lives."
"Freedom is not synonymous with an easy life. ... There are many difficult things about freedom: It does not give you safety, it creates moral dilemmas for you; it requires self-discipline; it imposes great responsibilities; but such is the nature of Man and in such consists his glory and salvation."
"I can think of no greater God-given responsibility we have than that of extending a helping hand to our fellow man."
"We have a responsibility to be aware of others."
"I recommend that the Statue of Liberty be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the west coast."
"It's a hell of a responsibility to be yourself. It's much easier to be somebody else or nobody at all."
"Our responsibility begins with our imagination."
"A burden in the bush is worth two on your hands."
"Be compassionate, and take responsibility for each other. If we only learned those lessons, this world would be so much a better place."
"We have a responsibility to look after our planet. It is our only home."
"The last thing my father told me was: 'On your way up, take me up. On your way down, don't let me down.' A father telling his son that puts some responsibility on my shoulders. He told me that, and I take it very seriously."
"Political action is the highest responsibility of a citizen."
"One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ' an unjust law is no law at all."
"It is not the responsibility of knights errant to discover whether the afflicted, the enchained and the oppressed whom they encounter on the road are reduced to these circumstances and suffer this distress for their vices, or for their virtues: the knight's sole responsibility is to succour them as people in need, having eyes only for their sufferings, not for their misdeeds."
"It is both a right and a responsibility of a democratic society to manage immigration so that it serves the national interest."
