---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you know what morals are, Violet?…"
description: "\"“Do you know what morals are, Violet? They’re other people’s rules. Do you know what a conscience is? Freedom to use your own intelligence to determine..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/amy-tan-730_character_do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they_2341188.jpg"
---

#  Do you know what morals are, Violet? They’re other…

![“Do you know what morals are, Violet? They’re other people’s rules. Do you know what a conscience is? Freedom to use your own intelligence to determine what is right or wrong. You possess that freedom and no one can remove it from you. Whenever others disapprove of you, you must disregard them and…” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/amy-tan-730_character_do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they_2341188.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/amy-tan-730_character_do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they_2341188.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/amy-tan-730_character_do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they_2341188.jpg)

> ““Do you know what morals are, Violet? They’re other people’s rules. Do you know what a conscience is? Freedom to use your own intelligence to determine what is right or wrong. You possess that freedom and no one can remove it from you. Whenever others disapprove of you, you must disregard them and be the only one to judge your own decisions and actions …””

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Morality is personal; conscience is the freedom to use one's own judgment, independent of societal rules.

**In simple terms:** Your conscience guides you beyond others' expectations.

Key Takeaway

Trust your own moral compass.

Themes

individualism ethics freedom

Mood

thoughtful empowering

Type

ethical motivational

When to use this quote

- making personal decisions
- standing up to peer pressure
- ethical dilemmas

Key Concepts

moral philosophy psychology autonomy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance personal conscience with communal norms?
- When have you overridden others' judgments?

A Different Perspective

External opinions may still influence you despite intention.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Conscience Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience-freedom-1411922/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Know Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-conscience-598071/) [Know Morals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-morals-1338537/) [Morals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morals/) [Morals Violet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morals-violet-5666140/) [Right or wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-or-wrong/)

## Related quotes

> [Do you know what morals are? Morals are an obedience to rules that people laid down to help you live among them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/do-you-know-what-morals-are-morals-are-an-obedience-to-rules-that/)

[Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/)

> [My conscience is clear, because I know that in my conscience and in front of God I am guilty of nothing. I hope human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-andreotti/my-conscience-is-clear-because-i-know-that-in-my-conscience-and-in/)

[Giulio Andreotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giulio-andreotti/)

> [Anyone who can appease a man's conscience can take his freedom away from him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-who-can-appease-a-man-s-conscience-can-take-his-freedom-away/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Love is too young to know what conscience is, Yet who knows not conscience is born of love? Then, gentle cheater, urge not my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-too-young-to-know-what-conscience-is-yet-who-knows-not/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions.  "He must not be forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-milavec/man-has-the-right-to-act-in-conscience-and-in-freedom-so-as/)

[Aaron Milavec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-milavec/)

> [The difficulty is to know conscience from self-interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/the-difficulty-is-to-know-conscience-from-self-interest/)

[William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/)

> [The more people come together, the more borders will be opened and people and opinions get together, the more unrenouncable tolerance will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-klestil/the-more-people-come-together-the-more-borders-will-be-opened-and/)

[Thomas Klestil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-klestil/)

> [I tell Thee that man is tormented by no greater anxiety than to find someone quickly to whom he can hand over that gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-tell-thee-that-man-is-tormented-by-no-greater-anxiety-than-to-find-2/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [“Evil is moral at it heart. The selection of vice over virtue; you can pretend not to know, you can rationalize, but you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/evil-is-moral-at-it-heart-the-selection-of-vice-over-virtue-you-can/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [Love is too young to know what conscience is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-too-young-to-know-what-conscience-is/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [ At the time of the adoption of the constitution, and of the amendment to it, now under consideration \[i.e., the First Amendment\], the general,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-story/at-the-time-of-the-adoption-of-the-constitution-and-of-the-amendment/)

[Joseph Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-story/)

> [I had taken a course in Ethics. I read a thick textbook, heard the class discussions and came out of it saying I hadn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/i-had-taken-a-course-in-ethics-i-read-a-thick-textbook-heard-the/)

[Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/)

> [I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I know what I believe in. I know my morals and I know what I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-hale/i-m-not-trying-to-be-something-i-m-not-i-know-what-i-believe-in-i/)

[Lucy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-hale/)

> [We get our morals from books. I didn't get mine from books, but I know that morals do come from books- theoretically at least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/we-get-our-morals-from-books-i-didn-t-get-mine-from-books-but-i-know/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I think I'm more grounded, you know, and I know what I want out of life and I'm, you know, my morals are really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britney-spears/i-think-i-m-more-grounded-you-know-and-i-know-what-i-want-out-of-life/)

[Britney Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britney-spears/)

## More by Amy Tan

> [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

[Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

[David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Do you know what morals are, Violet? They’re other people’s rules. Do you know what a conscience is? Freedom to use your own intelligence to determine what is right or wrong. You possess that freedom and no one can remove it from you. Whenever others disapprove of you, you must disregard them and be the only one to judge your own decisions and actions …”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Amy Tan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they-re-other-people-s-rules-do/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they-re-other-people-s-rules-do/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/amy-tan-730_character_do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they_2341188.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/amy-tan-730_character_do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they_2341188.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/amy-tan-730_character_do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they_2341188.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Do you know what morals are, Violet? They’re other people’s rules. Do you know what a conscience is? Freedom…” — Amy Tan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Amy Tan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Do you know what morals are,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they-re-other-people-s-rules-do/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/do-you-know-what-morals-are-violet-they-re-other-people-s-rules-do/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
