---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we try to define our own moral…"
description: "\"If we try to define our own moral universe, there's a price for that.\" — Ben Affleck"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edd/ben-affleck-2043_ifs_if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-univer_1816094.jpg"
---

#  If we try to define our own moral universe, there's a…

![“If we try to define our own moral universe, there's a price for that.” quote by Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edd/ben-affleck-2043_ifs_if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-univer_1816094.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edd/ben-affleck-2043_ifs_if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-univer_1816094.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edd/ben-affleck-2043_ifs_if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-univer_1816094.jpg)

> “If we try to define our own moral universe, there's a price for that.”

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

## About This Quote

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

Defining a personal moral framework entails costs, implying that ethical independence requires sacrifice or consequences.

**In simple terms:** Creating personal ethics costs something.

Key Takeaway

Consider the price of moral independence.

Themes

ethics philosophy personal responsibility consequences integrity

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- personal relationships
- public statements
- social activism

Key Concepts

moral relativism autonomy ethical cost

Questions to Reflect On

- What are you willing to sacrifice for your moral stance?
- How do you balance personal ethics with social expectations?

A Different Perspective

It may ignore societal pressures that shape morality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/)

## Related quotes

> [It is never easy to define what is moral, particularly in foreign policy. But at the risk of being simplistic, it appears to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-goldberg/it-is-never-easy-to-define-what-is-moral-particularly-in-foreign/)

[Arthur Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-goldberg/)

> [Since survival is the sine qua non, I now define the "moral behavior" as "behavior that tends toward survival".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/since-survival-is-the-sine-qua-non-i-now-define-the-moral-behavior-as/)

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

> [If God thinks this state of war in the universe is a price worth paying for free will--that is, for making a live world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-god-thinks-this-state-of-war-in-the-universe-is-a-price-worth/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [If God thinks this state of war in the universe a price worth paying for free will...then we may take it it is worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-god-thinks-this-state-of-war-in-the-universe-a-price-worth-paying/)

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

> [I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one. . . . But from what I see I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/i-do-not-pretend-to-understand-the-moral-universe-the-arc-is-a-long/)

[Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/)

> [You kind of create your own moral universe. It's like, well, I like myself. If other people don't like me, then whatever. I'm out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-cutler/you-kind-of-create-your-own-moral-universe-it-s-like-well-i-like/)

[Jessica Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-cutler/)

> [“Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/let-us-realize-the-arc-of-the-moral-universe-is-long-but-it-bends/)

[Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/)

> [Justice demands integrity. It’s to have a moral universe — not only know what is right or wrong but to put things in perspective,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/justice-demands-integrity-it-s-to-have-a-moral-universe-not-only-know/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [The first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-first-principle-of-value-that-we-need-to-rediscover-is-this-that/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [“Theism, however, teaches that not only is there a moral universe but there is an absolute standard by which all moral judgments are measured.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-sire/theism-however-teaches-that-not-only-is-there-a-moral-universe-but/)

[James W. Sire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-sire/)

> [There are indeed 'values' in the Harry Potter series, but they're confused with anti-values. Potterworld is a scrambled moral universe. There are Christian symbols…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-brien/there-are-indeed-values-in-the-harry-potter-series-but-they-re/)

[Michael O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-brien/)

> [When we're in our right minds, we are hopeful. Because the arc of the moral universe does bend toward justice, nature does bend toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-we-re-in-our-right-minds-we-are-hopeful-because-the-arc-of-the/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Stories can bring alive the moral universe in a very vivid, useful, engaging way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/stories-can-bring-alive-the-moral-universe-in-a-very-vivid-useful/)

[Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/)

> [This is a moral universe, which means that despite all the evidence that seems to be to the contrary, there is no way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/this-is-a-moral-universe-which-means-that-despite-all-the-evidence/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

> [I think if we wish to live in any kind of a moral universe, we must hold the perpetrators of violence responsible for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-think-if-we-wish-to-live-in-any-kind-of-a-moral-universe-we-must/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## More by Ben Affleck

> [School plays are fine. Theater in school is fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/school-plays-are-fine-theater-in-school-is-fine/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [What happens is this sort of bleed-over from the tabloids across your movie work. You go to a movie, you only go once. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/what-happens-is-this-sort-of-bleed-over-from-the-tabloids-across-your/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [Never film yourself having sex. You think you'll look powerful and vital, but you don't. You look like a sick, shivering polar bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/never-film-yourself-having-sex-you-think-you-ll-look-powerful-and/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [No matter how much you change, you still got to pay the price for the things you’ve done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/no-matter-how-much-you-change-you-still-got-to-pay-the-price-for-the/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [All I do, really, is go to work and try to be professional, be on time and be prepared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/all-i-do-really-is-go-to-work-and-try-to-be-professional-be-on-time/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [On the night of the awards, I carried the Oscar around waist-high. I never had so many women ask me 'Can I touch it?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/on-the-night-of-the-awards-i-carried-the-oscar-around-waist-high-i/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [Not that it entirely matters: There is a perception that all actors make their movies. A lot of people assume you're responsible. George Clooney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/not-that-it-entirely-matters-there-is-a-perception-that-all-actors/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [I just feel like sometimes I'm a force to be dealt with. My talents are sometimes overused and also sometimes underused. It's not easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/i-just-feel-like-sometimes-i-m-a-force-to-be-dealt-with-my-talents/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [Affleck was the bomb in Phantoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/affleck-was-the-bomb-in-phantoms/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [Sometimes the people we meet change us forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/sometimes-the-people-we-meet-change-us-forever/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [To answer the question, though: I didn't always want to direct. I just liked the idea of it. If a friend was making a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/to-answer-the-question-though-i-didn-t-always-want-to-direct-i-just/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [But when I felt like I had something to prove? Then I got up early every morning and worked all day long. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/but-when-i-felt-like-i-had-something-to-prove-then-i-got-up-early/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [I feel things more deeply... anything to do with kids. It just makes a big difference in my life... Having a child is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/i-feel-things-more-deeply-anything-to-do-with-kids-it-just-makes-a/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [I've learned to think, I may succeed or fail, but I'm going to do so on the merit of my own instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/i-ve-learned-to-think-i-may-succeed-or-fail-but-i-m-going-to-do-so-on/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

> [I flew back just in time to pick up a toilet seat for my girlfriend. It didn't go over that well. I thought, 'It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/i-flew-back-just-in-time-to-pick-up-a-toilet-seat-for-my-girlfriend/)

[Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

[Explore all 189 Ben Affleck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/)

## More Ifs quotes

> [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/)

[Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/)

> [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/)

[Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/)

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/)

[Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/)

[Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/)

> [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [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/)

Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If we try to define our own moral universe, there's a price for that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ben Affleck"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-universe-there-s-a-price-for-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ifs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-universe-there-s-a-price-for-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edd/ben-affleck-2043_ifs_if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-univer_1816094.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edd/ben-affleck-2043_ifs_if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-univer_1816094.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/edd/ben-affleck-2043_ifs_if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-univer_1816094.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If we try to define our own moral universe, there's a price for that.” — Ben Affleck",
                "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": "Ben Affleck",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If we try to define our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-universe-there-s-a-price-for-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/if-we-try-to-define-our-own-moral-universe-there-s-a-price-for-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
