--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My own view, which does not rely solely…" description: "\"My own view, which does not rely solely on religious faith or even on an original idea, but rather on ordinary common sense, is that establishing bindi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/dalai-lama-89_binding_my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-o_535620.jpg" --- # My own view, which does not rely solely on religious faith… ![“My own view, which does not rely solely on religious faith or even on an original idea, but rather on ordinary common sense, is that establishing binding ethical principles is possible when we take as our starting point the observation that we all desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering.” quote by Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/dalai-lama-89_binding_my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-o_535620.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/dalai-lama-89_binding_my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-o_535620.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/dalai-lama-89_binding_my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-o_535620.jpg) > “My own view, which does not rely solely on religious faith or even on an original idea, but rather on ordinary common sense, is that establishing binding ethical principles is possible when we take as our starting point the observation that we all desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering.” [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ethical rules can be built from shared human desire for happiness and aversion to suffering, using common sense. **In simple terms:** We can base ethics on universal wishes for happiness and avoidance of pain. Key Takeaway Create policies that promote well‑being and reduce suffering. Themes ethics humanity common sense well‑being Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - public policy - education curricula - workplace culture - personal decision‑making Key Concepts Utilitarianism human rights psychology of happiness Questions to Reflect On - What universal values can guide your actions? - How do you balance happiness with responsibility? 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Ostriker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-p-ostriker/) > [In the past, the respect people had for religion meant that ethical practice was maintained through a majority following one religion or another. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/in-the-past-the-respect-people-had-for-religion-meant-that-ethical/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I want to show that there are indeed some universal ethical principles which could help everyone to achieve the happiness we all aspire to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-want-to-show-that-there-are-indeed-some-universal-ethical/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > ["Rituals" don't make you righteous, it's uprightness: living up to moral principles and ethical principles, and submitting to universal law established by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/rituals-don-t-make-you-righteous-it-s-uprightness-living-up-to-moral/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [The Earth Charter is important as an expression of the commitment of people throughout the Earth to evoke their own deepest moral, spiritual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/the-earth-charter-is-important-as-an-expression-of-the-commitment-of/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [“Genuine tragedy is a case not of right against wrong but of right against right — two equally justified ethical principles embodied in people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/genuine-tragedy-is-a-case-not-of-right-against-wrong-but-of-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And so we shall have to do more than register and more than vote; we shall have to create leaders who embody virtues we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/and-so-we-shall-have-to-do-more-than-register-and-more-than-vote-we/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I should not deal with things that aren't founded on ethical principles, because that's not who I am as a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohan-marley/i-should-not-deal-with-things-that-aren-t-founded-on-ethical/) [Rohan Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohan-marley/) > [Passive resistance seeks to rejoin politics and religion and to test all our actions in the light of ethical principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/passive-resistance-seeks-to-rejoin-politics-and-religion-and-to-test/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Ethical principles stand above the existence of the nation and that by adhering to these principles an individual belongs to the community of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/ethical-principles-stand-above-the-existence-of-the-nation-and-that/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [I wanted to see what it means to think about taking responsibility for one's own desires and choosing to foreground desire as an ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-marshall/i-wanted-to-see-what-it-means-to-think-about-taking-responsibility/) [Richard Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-marshall/) > [Buddhism’s cardinal ethical principle is to avoid causing harm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-fronsdal/buddhism-s-cardinal-ethical-principle-is-to-avoid-causing-harm/) [Gil Fronsdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-fronsdal/) > [Out of our first century of national life we evolved the ethical principle that it was not right or just that an honest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-perkins/out-of-our-first-century-of-national-life-we-evolved-the-ethical/) [Frances Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-perkins/) > [I think that my strong determination for justice comes from the very strong, dynamic personality of my father ... I have rarely ever met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-think-that-my-strong-determination-for-justice-comes-from-the-very/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [It is possible to believe in progress as a fact without believing in progress as an ethical principle; but in the catechism of many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-wiener/it-is-possible-to-believe-in-progress-as-a-fact-without-believing-in/) [Norbert Wiener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-wiener/) ## More by Dalai Lama > [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [In the interests of everyone the artist had a responsibility to use his medium well. 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By cultivating inner values, we can change our own lives and those of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-can-change-society-change-humanity-by-changing-ourselves-as/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I don't want to convert people to Buddhism — all major religions, when understood properly, have the same potential for good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-don-t-want-to-convert-people-to-buddhism-all-major-religions-when/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [There is no way to escape death, it is just like trying to escape by four great mountains touching sky. There is no escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-is-no-way-to-escape-death-it-is-just-like-trying-to-escape-by/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [We live within the environment. So that directly relates with our survival, our life. So through that way, more concern of well being of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-live-within-the-environment-so-that-directly-relates-with-our/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [My belief is that the various religious traditions have great potential to increase compassion, the sense of caring for one another, and the spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/my-belief-is-that-the-various-religious-traditions-have-great/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“So let us reflect on what is truly of value in life, what gives meaning to our lives, and set our priorities on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/so-let-us-reflect-on-what-is-truly-of-value-in-life-what-gives/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I am the source of my own suffering, because of the habits of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-am-the-source-of-my-own-suffering-because-of-the-habits-of-my-mind/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) [Explore all 1,406 Dalai Lama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) ## More Binding quotes > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“My heart almost vaulted out of my chest. 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That alone justifies the Mao Tse-tung era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/one-thing-that-chairman-mao-did-was-to-end-the-appalling-foot-binding/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [The ultimate binding element in the medieval order was subordination to the divine will and its earthly representatives, notably the pope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-babbitt/the-ultimate-binding-element-in-the-medieval-order-was-subordination/) [Irving Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-babbitt/) > [Love is the binding force on every level of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/love-is-the-binding-force-on-every-level-of-existence/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [When I stand in a library where is all the recorded wit of the world, but none of the recording, a mere accumulated, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-i-stand-in-a-library-where-is-all-the-recorded-wit-of-the-world/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [There is one single thread binding my way together...the way of the Master consists in doing one's best...that is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/there-is-one-single-thread-binding-my-way-together-the-way-of-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [The future belongs to social media. 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Paramore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-paramore/) [Browse all 207 Binding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binding/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My own view, which does not rely solely on religious faith or even on an original idea, but rather on ordinary common sense, is that establishing binding ethical principles is possible when we take as our starting point the observation that we all desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dalai Lama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-on-religious-faith-or-even-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Binding" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-on-religious-faith-or-even-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/dalai-lama-89_binding_my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-o_535620.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/dalai-lama-89_binding_my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-o_535620.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/dalai-lama-89_binding_my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-o_535620.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My own view, which does not rely solely on religious faith or even on an original idea, but rather on…” — Dalai Lama", "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": "Dalai Lama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My own view, which does not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-on-religious-faith-or-even-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/my-own-view-which-does-not-rely-solely-on-religious-faith-or-even-on/#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 } } ] } ```