--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great thing about being the only…" description: "\"The great thing about being the only species that makes a distinction between right and wrong is that we can make up the rules for ourselves as we go a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/douglas-adams-122_crazy_the-great-thing-about-being-the-only-spe_424500.png" --- # The great thing about being the only species that makes a… ![“The great thing about being the only species that makes a distinction between right and wrong is that we can make up the rules for ourselves as we go along.” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/douglas-adams-122_crazy_the-great-thing-about-being-the-only-spe_424500.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/douglas-adams-122_crazy_the-great-thing-about-being-the-only-spe_424500.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/douglas-adams-122_crazy_the-great-thing-about-being-the-only-spe_424500.png) > “The great thing about being the only species that makes a distinction between right and wrong is that we can make up the rules for ourselves as we go along.” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans uniquely create moral frameworks, allowing flexible rule-making as circumstances evolve. **In simple terms:** Humans can set their own moral rules. Key Takeaway Embrace ethical flexibility while staying accountable. Themes ethics human nature flexibility philosophy creativity Mood playful thought‑provoking Type philosophical humorous When to use this quote - Personal decision‑making - legal reform - cultural evolution - creative problem solving - philosophical debate Key Concepts Moral relativism existentialism self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities come with self‑made rules? - How can societies balance flexibility with shared values? A Different Perspective Moral relativism can lead to ethical ambiguity and conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinction/) [Great things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) ## Related quotes > [Tolerance obviously does not disturb the distinction between right and wrong, or good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/tolerance-obviously-does-not-disturb-the-distinction-between-right/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [ “What constitutes the various species? \[...\] Here we come up against the perennial question of human thought, which even evolutionism cannot evade: we can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-schonborn/what-constitutes-the-various-species-here-we-come-up-against-the/) [Christoph Schönborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-schonborn/) > [Such seems to be the disposition of man, that whatever makes a distinction produces rivalry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/such-seems-to-be-the-disposition-of-man-that-whatever-makes-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The succession of individuals, connected by reproduction and belonging to a species, makes it possible for the specific form itself to last for ages.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haeckel/the-succession-of-individuals-connected-by-reproduction-and-belonging/) [Ernst Haeckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haeckel/) > [DX you make the rules and we will break them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/dx-you-make-the-rules-and-we-will-break-them/) [Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/) > [“Some are meant to make rules, some are meant to break them. Others just follow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pushkar-saraf/some-are-meant-to-make-rules-some-are-meant-to-break-them-others-just/) Pushkar Saraf > [Step outside the guidelines of the official umpires and make your own rules and your own reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/step-outside-the-guidelines-of-the-official-umpires-and-make-your-own/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [“Don't let anyone else decide how you live your life. No book, no teacher, no parents, no priest. 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And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-technology-involved-in-making-anything-invisible-is-so-infinitely/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [One is never alone with a rubber duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-is-never-alone-with-a-rubber-duck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [This must be Thursday. 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Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. 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