Few men, indeed, are so mad that they do not know when they are doing wrong. But so avid is their pursuit of goods that wrongdoing has become an element of all they do. To protest that fact is idle. Our politics, our business-little and big, our professions, our labor, are smitten in every facet with a corruption occasioned by reckless determination to make not just a reasonable profit but all the profit that can be wrung from every enterprise. Our commonest man, emulating his superiors, forges ahead with a brick on the safety valve of his conscience. Think over your morning paper in that light.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Most people know when they are doing wrong but prioritize profit over conscience. This greed has infected politics, business, and labor across all sectors.
- In plain terms
- People often choose profit over morality, corrupting all areas of life.
- What can you take from it?
- Resist profit motives that override ethical standards.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Where do you see profit overriding ethics?
- How do you protect your conscience in work?
Another view
It assumes universal complicity without offering concrete solutions for systemic change.
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