Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
He says his principles are flexible: if you dislike one, he has others.
In plain terms
He can change his principles if you disagree.
What can you take from it?
Principles should be adaptable, not rigid.

Where it applies

  • debates
  • personal values

Putting it to work

  • re‑evaluate beliefs
  • stay open to alternatives

Questions to consider

  • When should principles stay firm?
  • How do we balance consistency with adaptability?

Another view

Changing principles to please others can undermine integrity.

More from Groucho Marx

  1. There is only one way to find out if a man is honest...ask him. If he says 'yes', you know he is crooked.

    Permalink to quote #103
  2. Time wounds all heels.

    Permalink to quote #105
  3. The secret of success is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake those, you've got it made.

    Permalink to quote #102

Related quotes

  1. Ich glaube nicht an die Freiheit des Willens. Schopenhauers Wort: >Der Mensch kann wohl tun was er will, aber er kann nicht wollen, was er will.< begleitet mic…

    Arthur SchopenhauerArthur Schopenhauer quote #127
  2. It is a very great mistake to imagine that the object of loyalty is the authority and interest of one individual man, however dignified by the applause or enri…

    Samuel AdamsSamuel Adams quote #1
  3. The great fault of all ethics hitherto has been that they believed themselves to have to deal only with the relations of man to man. In reality, however, the q…

    Albert SchweitzerAlbert Schweitzer quote #1