--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We may not all break the Ten…" description: "\"We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certainly all capable of it. Within us lurks the breaker of all laws, ready to spring out at the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/isadora-duncan-7255_break_we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandment_838710.jpg" --- # We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are… ![“We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certainly all capable of it. Within us lurks the breaker of all laws, ready to spring out at the first real opportunity.” quote by Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/isadora-duncan-7255_break_we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandment_838710.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/isadora-duncan-7255_break_we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandment_838710.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/isadora-duncan-7255_break_we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandment_838710.jpg) > “We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certainly all capable of it. Within us lurks the breaker of all laws, ready to spring out at the first real opportunity.” [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Everyone has the capacity to break moral rules, and the temptation can surface when opportunity arises. **In simple terms:** We can all be tempted to break rules. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant of moral temptations. Themes ethics selfcontrol temptation human nature Mood thoughtful cautionary Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - ethical dilemma - personal decision - stressful moments Key Concepts moral psychology selfawareness impulse control Questions to Reflect On - What personal values guard you? - When have you resisted a tempting breach? A Different Perspective Temptation strength varies with personal values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Break Commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-commandments-622773/) [Capable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable/) [Capable Lurks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capable-lurks-622774/) [Commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandments/) [Commandments Certainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandments-certainly-622772/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ready/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Ten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten/) [Ten commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-commandments/) ## Related quotes > [“In writing, a good guy must never break any of the Ten Commandments. A bad guy must break every one. That's why writing female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-black/in-writing-a-good-guy-must-never-break-any-of-the-ten-commandments-a/) [Kimberly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-black/) > [“We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/we-cannot-break-the-ten-commandments-we-can-only-break-ourselves/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [No man can break any of the Ten Commandments. He can only break himself against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/no-man-can-break-any-of-the-ten-commandments-he-can-only-break/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“Why do the Ten Commandments begin with a prohibition of idolatry? It is, Luther argued, because we never break the other commandments without breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/why-do-the-ten-commandments-begin-with-a-prohibition-of-idolatry-it/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [In vain we call old notions fudge, And bend our conscience to our dealing; The Ten Commandments will not budge, And stealing will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/in-vain-we-call-old-notions-fudge-and-bend-our-conscience-to-our/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [Man has made 32 million laws since THE COMMANDMENTS were handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai more than three thousand years ago, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-b-demille/man-has-made-32-million-laws-since-the-commandments-were-handed-down/) [Cecil B. DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-b-demille/) > [In ten phrases, the ten commandments express the essential of life. And these three words--liberty, equality, and fraternity--do just as much. Millions of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-kieslowski/in-ten-phrases-the-ten-commandments-express-the-essential-of-life-and/) [Krzysztof Kieslowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-kieslowski/) > [I favor candidates who are biblically oriented, who hold the views of the Ten Commandments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bright/i-favor-candidates-who-are-biblically-oriented-who-hold-the-views-of/) [Bill Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bright/) > [If God had been a liberal, we wouldn't have had the Ten Commandments - we'd have the Ten Suggestions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-bradbury/if-god-had-been-a-liberal-we-wouldn-t-have-had-the-ten-commandments/) [Malcolm Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-bradbury/) > [We have staked the whole future of our new nation, not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/we-have-staked-the-whole-future-of-our-new-nation-not-upon-the-power/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [The only way those Ten Commandments and prayer would be stripped from that Courtroom is with the force of arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fob-james/the-only-way-those-ten-commandments-and-prayer-would-be-stripped-from/) [Fob James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fob-james/) > [When you hear people demanding that the Ten Commandments be displayed in courtrooms and schoolrooms, always be sure to ask which set. It works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/when-you-hear-people-demanding-that-the-ten-commandments-be-displayed/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There are ten commandments, I've only broken three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/there-are-ten-commandments-i-ve-only-broken-three/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [In my book I specifically discussed the structural nature of injustice and offered Nine Touchstones of Goddess ethics as an alternative to the Ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-p-christ/in-my-book-i-specifically-discussed-the-structural-nature-of/) [Carol P. Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-p-christ/) > [The Ten Commandments don't tell you what you ought to do: They only put ideas into your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bibesco/the-ten-commandments-don-t-tell-you-what-you-ought-to-do-they-only/) [Elizabeth Bibesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bibesco/) ## More by Isadora Duncan > [Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make this world a better place to live in is to love -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/art-is-not-necessary-at-all-all-that-is-necessary-to-make-this-world/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [My art is just an effort to express the truth of my being in gesture and movement. It has taken me long years to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/my-art-is-just-an-effort-to-express-the-truth-of-my-being-in-gesture/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the brain, the thinking man. The singing is the emotion. The dancing is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the-speaking-is-the-brain-the/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [All my life I have struggled to make one authentic gesture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/all-my-life-i-have-struggled-to-make-one-authentic-gesture/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [I intend to work for this dance of the future. I do not know whether I have the necessary qualities; I may have neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/i-intend-to-work-for-this-dance-of-the-future-i-do-not-know-whether-i/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [The only dance masters I could have were Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Walt Whitman and Nietzsche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-only-dance-masters-i-could-have-were-jean-jacques-rousseau-walt/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [The dancer will not belong to a nation but to all humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-dancer-will-not-belong-to-a-nation-but-to-all-humanity/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [Dancing: The Highest Intelligence in the Freest Body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/dancing-the-highest-intelligence-in-the-freest-body/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [All my lovers have been geniuses; it's the one thing that I insist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/all-my-lovers-have-been-geniuses-it-s-the-one-thing-that-i-insist/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [I have only danced my life. As a child I danced the spontaneous joy of growing things. As an adolescent, I danced with joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/i-have-only-danced-my-life-as-a-child-i-danced-the-spontaneous-joy-of/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [When I was sixteen, I danced before an audience without music. At the end someone suddenly cried 'its Death and the Maiden'. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/when-i-was-sixteen-i-danced-before-an-audience-without-music-at-the/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [It is unheard-of, uncivilized barbarism that any woman should still be forced to bear such monstrous torture. It should be remedied. It should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/it-is-unheard-of-uncivilized-barbarism-that-any-woman-should-still-be/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [The dancer will not belong to any nation but to all humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-dancer-will-not-belong-to-any-nation-but-to-all-humanity/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [To awaken human emotion is the highest level of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/to-awaken-human-emotion-is-the-highest-level-of-art/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of her soul...This is the truly creative dancer, natural but not imitative, speaking in movement out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-dancer-s-body-is-simply-the-luminous-manifestation-of-her-soul/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) [Explore all 92 Isadora Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) ## More Break quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) > [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/) [Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dunne/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/) [Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/) [Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certainly all capable of it. Within us lurks the breaker of all laws, ready to spring out at the first real opportunity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isadora Duncan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandments-but-we-are-certainly-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Break" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandments-but-we-are-certainly-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/isadora-duncan-7255_break_we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandment_838710.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/isadora-duncan-7255_break_we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandment_838710.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/isadora-duncan-7255_break_we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandment_838710.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certainly all capable of it. Within us lurks the…” — Isadora Duncan", "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": "Isadora Duncan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We may not all break the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandments-but-we-are-certainly-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/we-may-not-all-break-the-ten-commandments-but-we-are-certainly-all/#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 } } ] } ```