--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If allowed to be, the heart is…" description: "\"“If allowed to be, the heart is self-policing, and a reasonable measure of guilt guards against corruption.”\" — Dean Koontz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77c/dean-koontz-118_corruption_if-allowed-to-be-the-heart-is-self-polic_1356863.jpg" --- # If allowed to be, the heart is self-policing, and a… ![“If allowed to be, the heart is self-policing, and a reasonable measure of guilt guards against corruption.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77c/dean-koontz-118_corruption_if-allowed-to-be-the-heart-is-self-polic_1356863.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77c/dean-koontz-118_corruption_if-allowed-to-be-the-heart-is-self-polic_1356863.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77c/dean-koontz-118_corruption_if-allowed-to-be-the-heart-is-self-polic_1356863.jpg) > ““If allowed to be, the heart is self-policing, and a reasonable measure of guilt guards against corruption.”” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑regulation and a sense of guilt act as internal checks against immoral actions. **In simple terms:** Guilt guides moral behavior. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑awareness and accountability. Themes morality self‑control guilt Mood introspective cautionary Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal decisions - leadership choices - team dynamics Key Concepts ethical psychology inner compass Questions to Reflect On - When does guilt become harmful? - How can you balance conscience with compassion? A Different Perspective Rigid guilt can cause undue anxiety and paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) ## Related quotes > [We want to have markets that are self-policing through competition. 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We have become a self-service populace, and all our specious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dahlberg/the-ruin-of-the-human-heart-is-self-interest-which-the-american/) [Edward Dahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dahlberg/) > [Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person we are. Lets be our self. Embrace that individual inside us that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/trying-to-be-anyone-else-is-a-waste-of-the-person-we-are-lets-be-our/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. 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When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [As you fight corruption, it fights back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yemi-osinbajo/as-you-fight-corruption-it-fights-back/) [Yemi Osinbajo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yemi-osinbajo/) > [Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/selfishness-is-one-of-the-principal-fruits-of-the-corruption-of-human/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [ Corruption could lead to the collapse of the Party \[Communist Party of China\] and the downfall of the state \[People's Republic of China\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xi-jinping/corruption-could-lead-to-the-collapse-of-the-party-communist-party-of/) [Xi Jinping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xi-jinping/) > [“Oh where is the noble face of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/oh-where-is-the-noble-face-of-modesty-or-the-strength-of-virtue-now/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. 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