Our Centers for Ethics:

Quotations: Conscience

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A clear conscience is usually the sign of bad memory.
— Steven Wright, American comedian (b. 1955)

Conscience is God’s presence in man.
— Emmanuel Swedenborg, Swedish-American spiritualist (1688-1772)

Prudence reproaches; conscience accuses.
— Immanuel Kant, Prussian geographer and philosopher (1724-1804)

Trust that man in nothing who has not a conscience in everything.
— Laurence Sterne, English novelist (1713-1768)

Conscience is, in most, an anticipation of the opinion of others.
— Sir Henry Taylor, English poet (1800-1886)

Most men sell their souls and live with a good conscience on the proceeds.
— Logan Pearsall Smith, American-British editor and essayist (1865-1946)

A good conscience is a continual Christmas.
— Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father, inventor and statesman (1706-1790)

Reason often makes mistakes but conscience never does.
— Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw), American writer and humorist (1818-1885)

Conscience is thoroughly well-bred and soon leaves off talking to those who do not wish to hear it.
— Samuel Butler, English poet (1612-1680)

The difficulty is to know conscience from self-interest.
— William Dean Howells, American journalist and novelist (1837-1920)

When your intelligence don't tell you something ain't right, your conscience gives you a tap you on the shoulder and says ‘Hold on’. If it don't, you're a snake.
— Elvis Presley, American rock 'n' roll icon (1935-1977)

There is no witness so terrible, no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us.
— Sophocles, Greek dramatist (496-406 B.C.)

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