--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For an act may be wrong judged purely by…" description: "\"For an act may be wrong judged purely by itself, but when the motive that prompted the act is understood, it is construed differently. I lay it down as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/elizabeth-keckley-34510_axioms_for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by_59590.png" --- # For an act may be wrong judged purely by itself, but when… ![“For an act may be wrong judged purely by itself, but when the motive that prompted the act is understood, it is construed differently. I lay it down as an axiom, that only that is criminal in the sight of God where crime is meditated.” quote by Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/elizabeth-keckley-34510_axioms_for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by_59590.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/elizabeth-keckley-34510_axioms_for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by_59590.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/elizabeth-keckley-34510_axioms_for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by_59590.png) > “For an act may be wrong judged purely by itself, but when the motive that prompted the act is understood, it is construed differently. I lay it down as an axiom, that only that is criminal in the sight of God where crime is meditated.” [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Judgment of actions depends on understanding the underlying motive; without context, an act may seem immoral, but with insight into intent, its moral evaluation can shift. **In simple terms:** Motives reshape moral judgment. Key Takeaway Context matters in ethics. Themes morality intent judgment context ethics Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - legal analysis - personal relationships - historical interpretation Key Concepts cause and effect subjective perception Practical Applications - ethical counseling - moral education Questions to Reflect On - How does knowing someone's motive affect your view of their actions? - Can an act be inherently wrong without considering intent? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Axioms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/axioms/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) ## Related quotes > [“Crime begins with God. It will end with man, when he finds God again. Crime is everywhere, in all the fibres and roots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/crime-begins-with-god-it-will-end-with-man-when-he-finds-god-again/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [If loving God is a crime, give me a life sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myah/if-loving-god-is-a-crime-give-me-a-life-sentence/) [Myah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myah/) > [If we forgive God for his crime against us, which is to have made us finite creatures, He will forgive our crime against him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/if-we-forgive-god-for-his-crime-against-us-which-is-to-have-made-us/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [“The existance of many gods conveys true complexity of mortal life. Conversely, the assertion of but one god leads to a denial of complexity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-existance-of-many-gods-conveys-true-complexity-of-mortal-life/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [It was an axiom of "containment" that no part of the known world could be considered neutral. "Neutralism" was among the Cold Warriors' gravest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-was-an-axiom-of-containment-that-no-part-of-the-known-world-could/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [We must start with scientific fundamentals, and that means with the data of experiments and not with assumed axioms predicated only upon the misleading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/we-must-start-with-scientific-fundamentals-and-that-means-with-the/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [The eye of understanding is like the eye of the sense; for as you may see great objects through small crannies or levels, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-eye-of-understanding-is-like-the-eye-of-the-sense-for-as-you-may/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Geometry, like arithmetic, requires for its logical development only a small number of simple, fundamental principles. These fundamental principles are called the axioms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/geometry-like-arithmetic-requires-for-its-logical-development-only-a/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [But if men would give heed to the nature of substance they would doubt less concerning the Proposition that Existence appertains to the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/but-if-men-would-give-heed-to-the-nature-of-substance-they-would/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [Based on the considerations of history, ancient history, and international axioms, the logic of following up a citizen with his shadow for the purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/based-on-the-considerations-of-history-ancient-history-and/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [We should never forget the two axioms: 'Jesus is with me' and whatever happens, happens by the will of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-foucauld/we-should-never-forget-the-two-axioms-jesus-is-with-me-and-whatever/) [Charles de Foucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-foucauld/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More by Elizabeth Keckley > [Notwithstanding all the wrongs that slavery heaped upon me, I can bless it for one thing-youth's important lesson of self-reliance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/notwithstanding-all-the-wrongs-that-slavery-heaped-upon-me-i-can/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [Friends are a recompense for all the woes of the darkest pages of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/friends-are-a-recompense-for-all-the-woes-of-the-darkest-pages-of-life/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [I was born a slave-was the child of slave parents-therefore I came upon the earth free in God-like thought, but fettered in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/i-was-born-a-slave-was-the-child-of-slave-parents-therefore-i-came/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [Mr. Lincoln was generous by nature, and though his whole heart was in the war, he could not but respect the valor of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/mr-lincoln-was-generous-by-nature-and-though-his-whole-heart-was-in/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [Nobody has a right to whip me but my own master, and nobody shall do so if I can prevent it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/nobody-has-a-right-to-whip-me-but-my-own-master-and-nobody-shall-do/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [When I heard the words, I felt as if the blood had been frozen in my veins, and that my lungs must collapse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/when-i-heard-the-words-i-felt-as-if-the-blood-had-been-frozen-in-my/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [Poor dusky children of slavery, men and women of my own race-the transition from slavery to freedom was too sudden for you! The bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/poor-dusky-children-of-slavery-men-and-women-of-my-own-race-the/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [I lifted the white cloth from the white face of the man that I had worshipped as an idol-looked upon as a demi-god. Notwithstanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/i-lifted-the-white-cloth-from-the-white-face-of-the-man-that-i-had/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [None of us are perfect, for which reason we should heed the voice of charity when it whispers in our ears, "Do not magnify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/none-of-us-are-perfect-for-which-reason-we-should-heed-the-voice-of/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [Free, free! what a glorious ring to the word. Free! the bitter heart-struggle was over. Free! the soul could go out to heaven and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/free-free-what-a-glorious-ring-to-the-word-free-the-bitter-heart/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [We who are crushed to earth with heavy chains, who travel a weary, rugged, thorny road, groping through midnight darkness on earth, earn our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/we-who-are-crushed-to-earth-with-heavy-chains-who-travel-a-weary/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [“What a sublime picture was this! A ruler of a mighty nation going to the pages of the Bible with simple Christian earnestness for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/what-a-sublime-picture-was-this-a-ruler-of-a-mighty-nation-going-to/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) > [“An act may be wrong, but unless the ruling power recognizes the wrong, it is useless to hope for a correction of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/an-act-may-be-wrong-but-unless-the-ruling-power-recognizes-the-wrong/) [Elizabeth Keckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) [Explore all 14 Elizabeth Keckley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/) ## More Axioms quotes > [As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [We should never forget the two axioms: 'Jesus is with me' and whatever happens, happens by the will of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-foucauld/we-should-never-forget-the-two-axioms-jesus-is-with-me-and-whatever/) [Charles de Foucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-foucauld/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Based on the considerations of history, ancient history, and international axioms, the logic of following up a citizen with his shadow for the purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/based-on-the-considerations-of-history-ancient-history-and/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [But if men would give heed to the nature of substance they would doubt less concerning the Proposition that Existence appertains to the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/but-if-men-would-give-heed-to-the-nature-of-substance-they-would/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Geometry, like arithmetic, requires for its logical development only a small number of simple, fundamental principles. These fundamental principles are called the axioms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/geometry-like-arithmetic-requires-for-its-logical-development-only-a/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [The eye of understanding is like the eye of the sense; for as you may see great objects through small crannies or levels, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-eye-of-understanding-is-like-the-eye-of-the-sense-for-as-you-may/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [We must start with scientific fundamentals, and that means with the data of experiments and not with assumed axioms predicated only upon the misleading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/we-must-start-with-scientific-fundamentals-and-that-means-with-the/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [It was an axiom of "containment" that no part of the known world could be considered neutral. "Neutralism" was among the Cold Warriors' gravest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-was-an-axiom-of-containment-that-no-part-of-the-known-world-could/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [It should be remembered, as an axiom of eternal truth in politics, that whatever power in any government is independent, is absolute also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/it-should-be-remembered-as-an-axiom-of-eternal-truth-in-politics-that/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I've made movies that were adaptations and I've been kind of frustrated by the process because, you know that old axiom, 'It's never as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/i-ve-made-movies-that-were-adaptations-and-i-ve-been-kind-of/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [I collect axioms, paradoxes, maxims, teaching stories, proverbs, and aphorisms of all sorts, because I love to see complex ideas distilled into a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-collect-axioms-paradoxes-maxims-teaching-stories-proverbs-and/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“people get unbelievably upset when you poke them in the axioms”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-b-peterson/people-get-unbelievably-upset-when-you-poke-them-in-the-axioms/) [Jordan B. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-b-peterson/) [Browse all 223 Axioms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/axioms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For an act may be wrong judged purely by itself, but when the motive that prompted the act is understood, it is construed differently. I lay it down as an axiom, that only that is criminal in the sight of God where crime is meditated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Keckley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by-itself-but-when-the-motive/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Axioms" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by-itself-but-when-the-motive/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/elizabeth-keckley-34510_axioms_for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by_59590.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/elizabeth-keckley-34510_axioms_for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by_59590.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99c/elizabeth-keckley-34510_axioms_for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by_59590.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For an act may be wrong judged purely by itself, but when the motive that prompted the act is understood, it…” — Elizabeth Keckley", "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": "Elizabeth Keckley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-keckley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For an act may be wrong...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by-itself-but-when-the-motive/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-keckley/for-an-act-may-be-wrong-judged-purely-by-itself-but-when-the-motive/#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 } } ] } ```