Wicked men obey from fear; good men, from love.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Bad people follow rules out of fear of consequences, while good people follow them out of love for what is right.
- In plain terms
- Evil men obey because they fear punishment; good men obey because they love virtue.
- What can you take from it?
- Cultivate love for goodness over fear of punishment.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Should you obey only when you love the rule?
- How do you build love for goodness?
Another view
Fear remains necessary for some aspects of legal compliance.
More from Aristotle
What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the performance of virtuo…
Permalink to quote #164 Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit.
Permalink to quote #166 What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.
Permalink to quote #163
Related quotes
I think it's a problem that people are considered immoral if they're not religious. That's just not true. This might earn me some enemies, but in some ways the…
Lisa RandallLisa Randall quote #12 And any practice, recommended to him, which either serves to no purpose in life, or offers the strongest violence to his natural inclinations; that practice he…
David HumeDavid Hume quote #38 Goodness is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other men, attended by love.
Saul BellowSaul Bellow quote #1