--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we do a moral act to offset an…" description: "\"“When we do a moral act to offset an immoral one, we are engaged in “moral cleansing.” When we do nothing, or perhaps something perceived as immoral (b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/david-disalvo-3662_bank-account_when-we-do-a-moral-act-to-offset-an-immo_1813654.jpg" --- # When we do a moral act to offset an immoral one, we are… ![“When we do a moral act to offset an immoral one, we are engaged in “moral cleansing.” When we do nothing, or perhaps something perceived as immoral (because we feel like we have enough in the moral bank account to get away with it) we are engaged in “moral licensing.” quote by David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/david-disalvo-3662_bank-account_when-we-do-a-moral-act-to-offset-an-immo_1813654.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/david-disalvo-3662_bank-account_when-we-do-a-moral-act-to-offset-an-immo_1813654.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/david-disalvo-3662_bank-account_when-we-do-a-moral-act-to-offset-an-immo_1813654.jpg) > ““When we do a moral act to offset an immoral one, we are engaged in “moral cleansing.” When we do nothing, or perhaps something perceived as immoral (because we feel like we have enough in the moral bank account to get away with it) we are engaged in “moral licensing.”” [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing moral actions with immoral ones leads to a psychological accounting system where good deeds justify bad ones, reducing further ethical effort. **In simple terms:** Good deeds can excuse later bad deeds. Key Takeaway Be aware of moral accounting and act consistently. Themes ethics psychology self-regulation Mood reflective critical Type analytical ethical When to use this quote - workplace decisions - environmental choices - personal finance - charitable giving Key Concepts moral accounting cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - Do you rationalize bad choices after good ones? - How can you maintain ethical consistency? A Different Perspective Moral licensing can persist despite awareness, especially under social pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Immoral Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immoral-feel-391450/) [Moral Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-act-1011723/) [Moral Cleansing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-cleansing-1173979/) [Moral Licensing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-licensing-2136912/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Perceived Immoral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceived-immoral-2136913/) ## Related quotes > [Moral licensing comes into play when people rely on past behavior to dismiss current prejudiced behavior. 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Hutchins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hutchins/) > [It is hardly a moral act to encourage others patiently to accept injustice which he himself does not endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/it-is-hardly-a-moral-act-to-encourage-others-patiently-to-accept/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“So far, about morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/so-far-about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-2/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Even a purely moral act that has no hope of any immediate and visible political effect can gradually and indirectly, over time, gain in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/even-a-purely-moral-act-that-has-no-hope-of-any-immediate-and-visible/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [you may call a person vain, and they will smile; you may call them immoral, and they may even feel flattered - but call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-buckrose/you-may-call-a-person-vain-and-they-will-smile-you-may-call-them/) [J. 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Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-n-rothbard/) > [“Among the innumerable books on Addy’s shelves was one by Ernest Hemingway in which I found these words: ‘What is moral is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-reid-banks/among-the-innumerable-books-on-addy-s-shelves-was-one-by-ernest/) [Lynne Reid Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-reid-banks/) > [“So far, about morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/so-far-about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/about-morals-i-know-only-that-what-is-moral-is-what-you-feel-good/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More by David DiSalvo > [“The flip side of this reality is that our big brains, advanced as they are, come with an array of complex shortcomings and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-flip-side-of-this-reality-is-that-our-big-brains-advanced-as-they/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“Participants who anticipated more rapid feedback scored the highest on the test.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/participants-who-anticipated-more-rapid-feedback-scored-the-highest/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“The best way to think of how our brains frame information is to imagine a picture frame, except unlike a normal frame, this one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-best-way-to-think-of-how-our-brains-frame-information-is-to/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“the amPFC and PCC were shown to play a large role in self-referential thinking and autobiographical memory (essentially, the “me” part of your brain).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/the-ampfc-and-pcc-were-shown-to-play-a-large-role-in-self-referential/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“those who ask themselves whether they will perform a task generally do better than those who tell themselves that they will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/those-who-ask-themselves-whether-they-will-perform-a-task-generally/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“words, for our brains, reality equals relevance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/words-for-our-brains-reality-equals-relevance/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“In German, bridge (die brucke) is a feminine noun; in Spanish, bridge (el puente) is a masculine noun. 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