---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do not believe that loyalty should…"
description: "\"I do not believe that loyalty should demand defending behavior that I find abhorrent.\" — George Stephanopoulos"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/george-stephanopoulos-7418_abhorrent_i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-dem_825581.png"
---

#  I do not believe that loyalty should demand defending…

![“I do not believe that loyalty should demand defending behavior that I find abhorrent.” quote by George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/george-stephanopoulos-7418_abhorrent_i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-dem_825581.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/george-stephanopoulos-7418_abhorrent_i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-dem_825581.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/george-stephanopoulos-7418_abhorrent_i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-dem_825581.png)

> “I do not believe that loyalty should demand defending behavior that I find abhorrent.”

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Loyalty should not force support of actions you find morally wrong.

**In simple terms:** Don't support immoral behavior out of loyalty.

Key Takeaway

Question loyalty when it conflicts with ethics.

Themes

ethics loyalty morality

Mood

conflicted thoughtful

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- political alliances
- family expectations
- workplace dynamics

Key Concepts

moral integrity personal values

Questions to Reflect On

- When does loyalty become complicity?
- How can you honor loyalty without compromising values?

A Different Perspective

Loyalty can be exploited to justify harmful actions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty/)

## Related quotes

> [I believe in loyalty. When a woman reaches an age she likes, she should stick with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-gabor/i-believe-in-loyalty-when-a-woman-reaches-an-age-she-likes-she-should/)

[Eva Gabor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-gabor/)

> [I think there are periods in this country when behavior is abhorrent: McCarthy, Watergate, Bill Clinton. It's just a question of how the checks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-tapper/i-think-there-are-periods-in-this-country-when-behavior-is-abhorrent/)

[Jake Tapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-tapper/)

> [I believe that loyalty is a cardinal virtue. Nowhere in the world is loyalty so little revered and tittle-tattle so greatly venerated as in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-believe-that-loyalty-is-a-cardinal-virtue-nowhere-in-the-world-is/)

[James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/)

> [Being a Scorpio, I believe in loyalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/payal-rohatgi/being-a-scorpio-i-believe-in-loyalty/)

[Payal Rohatgi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/payal-rohatgi/)

> [Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a conscience. And he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/man-was-born-into-barbarism-when-killing-his-fellow-man-was-a-normal/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [As abhorrent as some of this content can be, I do think that it gets down to this principle of giving people a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/as-abhorrent-as-some-of-this-content-can-be-i-do-think-that-it-gets/)

[Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/)

> [We may love to say many things, but if these are not uttered in the Holy Spirit it is better to say nothing. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/we-may-love-to-say-many-things-but-if-these-are-not-uttered-in-the/)

[Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/)

> [I knew about some experience on the operational part of the CIA with Latin American services and so forth having to do with torture.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/i-knew-about-some-experience-on-the-operational-part-of-the-cia-with/)

[Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/)

> [NVC suggests behind every action, however ineffective, tragic, violent, or abhorrent to us, is an attempt to meet a need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/nvc-suggests-behind-every-action-however-ineffective-tragic-violent/)

[Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/)

> [Communism requires of its adherents that they arise early and participate in a strenuous round of calisthenics. To someone who wishes that cigarettes came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communism-requires-of-its-adherents-that-they-arise-early-and/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [I guess there's nothing I don't like about Merlin, in this presentation. I love everything, even the things I find despicable and abhorrent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fiennes/i-guess-there-s-nothing-i-don-t-like-about-merlin-in-this/)

[Joseph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fiennes/)

> [“The most dangerous aspect of religion is its tendency to glorify the absurd and justify the abhorrent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stifyn-emrys/the-most-dangerous-aspect-of-religion-is-its-tendency-to-glorify-the/)

[Stifyn Emrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stifyn-emrys/)

> [Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/nothing-can-be-more-abhorrent-to-democracy-than-to-imprison-a-person/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [Individual web pages as they first appeared in the early 1990s had the flavour of person-hood. MySpace preserved some of that flavour, though a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/individual-web-pages-as-they-first-appeared-in-the-early-1990s-had/)

[Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/)

> [“Strange isn't it? How it's the direction we are viewed from that makes us attractive or abhorrent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-beckett/strange-isn-t-it-how-it-s-the-direction-we-are-viewed-from-that-makes/)

[Galen Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-beckett/)

## More by George Stephanopoulos

> [There's a statement from several members of the Senate, both Democrats and Republicans, including the Democratic leader, Charles Schumer; John McCain, the chair of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/there-s-a-statement-from-several-members-of-the-senate-both-democrats/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ Soon the Oval Office will be his \[ Donald Trump\] office, his home. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/soon-the-oval-office-will-be-his-donald-trump-office-his-home/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ \[Donald Trump\] he has pulled off something that no one believed he could do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/donald-trump-he-has-pulled-off-something-that-no-one-believed-he/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ Let's look at what Donald Trump is now \[in November 2016\] saying. He's saying he wants to repeal and replace ObamaCare. He is also… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/let-s-look-at-what-donald-trump-is-now-in-november-2016-saying-he-s/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [Well, I did say we'll put it out and we'll put it out when we can. But I don't know what we can put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/well-i-did-say-we-ll-put-it-out-and-we-ll-put-it-out-when-we-can-but/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ \[Donald Trump\] respect for the Republican leaders he denounced. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/donald-trump-respect-for-the-republican-leaders-he-denounced/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ We learned that President-elect \[Donald\] Trump intends to keep his executive producer title on Celebrity Apprentice. We know he's going to come out later… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/we-learned-that-president-elect-donald-trump-intends-to-keep-his/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [It's going to be a long, hot summer. The hotter it gets in Baghdad, the hotter it will get in D.C.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/it-s-going-to-be-a-long-hot-summer-the-hotter-it-gets-in-baghdad-the/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ They \[President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton\] have said that everybody should root for the success of President-Elect \[Donald\] Trump, but what about -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/they-president-barack-obama-and-hillary-clinton-have-said-that/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ \[Possible Attorney General\] that's a discussion I'd like to have with \[Donald Trump\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/possible-attorney-general-that-s-a-discussion-i-d-like-to-have-with/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ A lot of that will depend on who the person is on \[Donald\] Trump's, you know, right hand side, whether it's \[Stephen\] Bannon or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/a-lot-of-that-will-depend-on-who-the-person-is-on-donald-trump-s-you/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ I think \[Republicans\] would really like to rip up that \[Iran nuclear agreement\] and get a new one, but that's going to be very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/i-think-republicans-would-really-like-to-rip-up-that-iran-nuclear/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [“The president has kept all the promises he intended to keep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/the-president-has-kept-all-the-promises-he-intended-to-keep/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [From his moment of victory, a kinder, gentler Donald Trump - praise for the opponent he promised to jail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/from-his-moment-of-victory-a-kinder-gentler-donald-trump-praise-for/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

> [ But away from the rituals of Washington, alongside the elation of \[Donald\] Trump supporters, there is deep anxiety, anger and fear. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/but-away-from-the-rituals-of-washington-alongside-the-elation-of/)

[George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

[Explore all 91 George Stephanopoulos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/)

## More Abhorrent quotes

> [“Strange isn't it? How it's the direction we are viewed from that makes us attractive or abhorrent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-beckett/strange-isn-t-it-how-it-s-the-direction-we-are-viewed-from-that-makes/)

[Galen Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-beckett/)

> [Individual web pages as they first appeared in the early 1990s had the flavour of person-hood. MySpace preserved some of that flavour, though a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/individual-web-pages-as-they-first-appeared-in-the-early-1990s-had/)

[Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/)

> [Nothing can be more abhorrent to democracy than to imprison a person or keep him in prison because he is unpopular. This is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/nothing-can-be-more-abhorrent-to-democracy-than-to-imprison-a-person/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [“The most dangerous aspect of religion is its tendency to glorify the absurd and justify the abhorrent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stifyn-emrys/the-most-dangerous-aspect-of-religion-is-its-tendency-to-glorify-the/)

[Stifyn Emrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stifyn-emrys/)

> [I guess there's nothing I don't like about Merlin, in this presentation. I love everything, even the things I find despicable and abhorrent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fiennes/i-guess-there-s-nothing-i-don-t-like-about-merlin-in-this/)

[Joseph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fiennes/)

> [Communism requires of its adherents that they arise early and participate in a strenuous round of calisthenics. To someone who wishes that cigarettes came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communism-requires-of-its-adherents-that-they-arise-early-and/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [NVC suggests behind every action, however ineffective, tragic, violent, or abhorrent to us, is an attempt to meet a need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/nvc-suggests-behind-every-action-however-ineffective-tragic-violent/)

[Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/)

> [I knew about some experience on the operational part of the CIA with Latin American services and so forth having to do with torture.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/i-knew-about-some-experience-on-the-operational-part-of-the-cia-with/)

[Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/)

> [We may love to say many things, but if these are not uttered in the Holy Spirit it is better to say nothing. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/we-may-love-to-say-many-things-but-if-these-are-not-uttered-in-the/)

[Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/)

> [As abhorrent as some of this content can be, I do think that it gets down to this principle of giving people a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/as-abhorrent-as-some-of-this-content-can-be-i-do-think-that-it-gets/)

[Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/)

> [Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a conscience. And he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/man-was-born-into-barbarism-when-killing-his-fellow-man-was-a-normal/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [We don't have an appreciable American left any more in the United States. What I saw of the SDS in the '60s was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/we-don-t-have-an-appreciable-american-left-any-more-in-the-united/)

[Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/)

> [While the behavior of the Russian government, Putin and Putin punks are abhorrent, nothing will be changed by boycotting the Sochi Winter Games. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mixner/while-the-behavior-of-the-russian-government-putin-and-putin-punks/)

[David Mixner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mixner/)

> [I said I thought female labour of the sort exacted from these slaves, and corporal chastisement such as they endure, must be abhorrent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/i-said-i-thought-female-labour-of-the-sort-exacted-from-these-slaves/)

[Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/)

> [I've never seen anything so abhorrent in my life as Harry Reid. He's an equal opportunity basher. He goes after everybody, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/i-ve-never-seen-anything-so-abhorrent-in-my-life-as-harry-reid-he-s/)

[Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/)

Browse all 89 Abhorrent quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I do not believe that loyalty should demand defending behavior that I find abhorrent.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Stephanopoulos"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-demand-defending-behavior-that-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Abhorrent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-demand-defending-behavior-that-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/george-stephanopoulos-7418_abhorrent_i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-dem_825581.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/george-stephanopoulos-7418_abhorrent_i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-dem_825581.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8e/george-stephanopoulos-7418_abhorrent_i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-dem_825581.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I do not believe that loyalty should demand defending behavior that I find abhorrent.” — George Stephanopoulos",
                "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": "George Stephanopoulos",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I do not believe that loyalty...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-demand-defending-behavior-that-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/i-do-not-believe-that-loyalty-should-demand-defending-behavior-that-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
