--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Right is not only to act within the law…" description: "\"Right is not only to act within the law. It's to also act according to the conscience.\" — Howard Zinn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/howard-zinn-576_conscience_right-is-not-only-to-act-within-the-law_653229.jpg" --- # Right is not only to act within the law. It's to also act… ![“Right is not only to act within the law. It's to also act according to the conscience.” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/howard-zinn-576_conscience_right-is-not-only-to-act-within-the-law_653229.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/howard-zinn-576_conscience_right-is-not-only-to-act-within-the-law_653229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/howard-zinn-576_conscience_right-is-not-only-to-act-within-the-law_653229.jpg) > “Right is not only to act within the law. It's to also act according to the conscience.” [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral duty extends beyond legality to include conscience‑guided actions. **In simple terms:** Do what’s right, not just legal. Key Takeaway Align actions with ethical conscience. Themes ethics law conscience Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - activism - policy making - education Key Concepts philosophy civil\_rights social\_responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do you resolve conflicts between law and conscience? - When should you prioritize moral action? A Different Perspective Legal compliance alone can ignore injustice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) ## Related quotes > [“I know that no one is my judge. I live according to my own conscience and value discernments which are governed by Holy Spirit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mishi-mccoy/i-know-that-no-one-is-my-judge-i-live-according-to-my-own-conscience/) [Mishi McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mishi-mccoy/) > [Timing is everything. If you dont know what to do, its probably not time yet. When the time is right to act, youll know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/timing-is-everything-if-you-dont-know-what-to-do-its-probably-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Is the any religion like a right act?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-the-any-religion-like-a-right-act/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Faith When you feel deeply that a certain act is the right act, do it and have perfect faith that the consequences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-d-wattles/faith-when-you-feel-deeply-that-a-certain-act-is-the-right-act-do-it/) [Wallace D. Wattles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-d-wattles/) > [you are right where you should be / now act like it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-tea/you-are-right-where-you-should-be-now-act-like-it/) [Michelle Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-tea/) > [If we have the right to use our reason, we certainly have the right to act in accordance with it, and no god can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-we-have-the-right-to-use-our-reason-we-certainly-have-the-right-to/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Business is correct to defend its right to act in order to produce a vigorous and engaging prosperity. But it is wrong if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/business-is-correct-to-defend-its-right-to-act-in-order-to-produce-a/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [The ultimate notion of right is that which tends to the universal good; and when one's acting in a certain manner has this tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-hutcheson/the-ultimate-notion-of-right-is-that-which-tends-to-the-universal/) [Francis Hutcheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-hutcheson/) > [Neither the few nor the many have a right to act merely by their will, in any matter connected with duty, trust, engagement, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/neither-the-few-nor-the-many-have-a-right-to-act-merely-by-their-will/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I am considering two things on a daily basis: what is right to do and what is wrong to do in my role as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-trajkovski/i-am-considering-two-things-on-a-daily-basis-what-is-right-to-do-and/) [Boris Trajkovski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-trajkovski/) > [I have spent almost my entire adult life fighting to defend the religious liberty of every American to follow his or her faith and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-have-spent-almost-my-entire-adult-life-fighting-to-defend-the/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [“Don't you think it's good to serve your country?' I asked. 'No, I don't,' Mr Peterson said. 'I think it's good to serve your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/don-t-you-think-it-s-good-to-serve-your-country-i-asked-no-i-don-t-mr/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/give-me-the-liberty-to-know-to-utter-and-to-argue-freely-according-to/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [I have always lived according to my conscience, and my past is clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bidzina-ivanishvili/i-have-always-lived-according-to-my-conscience-and-my-past-is-clean/) [Bidzina Ivanishvili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bidzina-ivanishvili/) > [I never know what South Carolina thinks of a measure. I never consult her. I act to the best of my judgment, and according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-calhoun/i-never-know-what-south-carolina-thinks-of-a-measure-i-never-consult/) [John C. Calhoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-calhoun/) ## More by Howard Zinn > [“A black man, Benjamin Banneker, who taught himself mathematics and astronomy, predicted accurately a solar eclipse, and was appointed to plan the new city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-black-man-benjamin-banneker-who-taught-himself-mathematics-and/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/there-is-no-flag-large-enough-to-cover-the-shame-of-killing-innocent/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“a good education is a synthesis of book learning and involvement in social action, because each enrich the other. The accumulation of knowledge, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-good-education-is-a-synthesis-of-book-learning-and-involvement-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The mountain of history books under which we all stand leans so heavily in the other direction-so tremblingly respectful of states and statesmen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-mountain-of-history-books-under-which-we-all-stand-leans-so/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a "free market", we have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/let-s-face-a-historical-truth-we-have-never-had-a-free-market-we-have/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-can-understand-pessimism-but-i-don-t-believe-in-it-it-s-not-simply/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/protest-beyond-the-law-is-not-a-departure-from-democracy-it-is/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/now-i-have-been-studying-very-closely-what-happens-every-day-in-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [They were not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, they were absent in the Constitution and they were invisible in the new political democracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/they-were-not-mentioned-in-the-declaration-of-independence-they-were/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Sexual purity was to be the special virtue of a woman. It was assumed that men, as a matter of biological nature, would sin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/sexual-purity-was-to-be-the-special-virtue-of-a-woman-it-was-assumed/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Middle-class Americans might be invited to join a new elite by attacks against the corruption of the established rich. The New Yorker Cadwallader Colden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/middle-class-americans-might-be-invited-to-join-a-new-elite-by/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/if-those-in-charge-of-our-society-politicians-corporate-executives/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/we-were-not-born-critical-of-existing-society-there-was-a-moment-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/behind-the-deceptive-words-designed-to-entice-people-into-supporting/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“George Washington had turned down the requests of blacks, seeking freedom, to fight in the Revolutionary army. So when the British military commander in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/george-washington-had-turned-down-the-requests-of-blacks-seeking/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) [Explore all 461 Howard Zinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## More Conscience quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) Rabelaise > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [My morals are important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/my-morals-are-important-to-me/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) [Browse all 3,490 Conscience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Right is not only to act within the law. 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