---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Taylor leaned back in her chair, staring…"
description: "\"“Taylor leaned back in her chair, staring up at the watermarked ceiling tile that she’d inherited with the office. Official requests to replace the mol..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/j-t-ellison-1281_greater-good_taylor-leaned-back-in-her-chair-staring_1340130.jpg"
---

#  Taylor leaned back in her chair, staring up at the…

![“Taylor leaned back in her chair, staring up at the watermarked ceiling tile that she’d inherited with the office. Official requests to replace the moldy brown splotch had been effectively ignored. She focused on the mark while her mind whirled. Was she willing to allow her father that kind of…” quote by J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/j-t-ellison-1281_greater-good_taylor-leaned-back-in-her-chair-staring_1340130.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/j-t-ellison-1281_greater-good_taylor-leaned-back-in-her-chair-staring_1340130.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/j-t-ellison-1281_greater-good_taylor-leaned-back-in-her-chair-staring_1340130.jpg)

> ““Taylor leaned back in her chair, staring up at the watermarked ceiling tile that she’d inherited with the office. Official requests to replace the moldy brown splotch had been effectively ignored. She focused on the mark while her mind whirled. Was she willing to allow her father that kind of judicial forgiveness? She had never been able to muster her own absolution for him. Now the law would do something her heart would never allow, and her mind would fight. She didn’t think she could stand by and watch him glide yet again. But at the same time, the greater good would be served. Shit. Typical Win, ruining her thought process by simply existing.””

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

## About This Quote

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

A professional wrestles with moral conflict between duty and personal loyalty, fearing the cost of legal decisions.

**In simple terms:** Duty clashes with personal loyalty.

Key Takeaway

Balance duty and compassion.

Themes

morality law family conflict justice

Mood

torn thoughtful

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- legal work
- family disputes
- ethical decision making

Key Concepts

ethical dilemma personal sacrifice

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you separate professional duty from personal feelings?
- When should you challenge an unjust rule?

A Different Perspective

The law may not always align with personal values.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolution/) [Absolution Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolution-law-4525041/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiveness Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness-able-2159859/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Greater good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-good/) [Judicial Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judicial-forgiveness-4525040/) [Thought process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-process/)

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> [It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-the-confession-not-the-priest-that-gives-us-absolution/)

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> [“I find something repulsive about the idea of vicarious redemption. I would not throw my numberless sins onto a scapegoat and expect them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-find-something-repulsive-about-the-idea-of-vicarious-redemption-i/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“Psychoanalysis is confession without absolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/psychoanalysis-is-confession-without-absolution/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Pause your opinions, debating and absolute knowing for long enough to conceive gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/pause-your-opinions-debating-and-absolute-knowing-for-long-enough-to/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [“Time made apologies and absolution unnecessary. Time didn't really heal, it just made bad memories distant so that the brain couldn't recapture the lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amulya-malladi/time-made-apologies-and-absolution-unnecessary-time-didn-t-really/)

[Amulya Malladi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amulya-malladi/)

> [Our own acts are isolated and one act does not buy absolution for another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/our-own-acts-are-isolated-and-one-act-does-not-buy-absolution-for/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [“Being alone will show you who you really are, and if you cannot get-on positively as the sole master of your space in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/being-alone-will-show-you-who-you-really-are-and-if-you-cannot-get-on/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [From sorrow to serenity, the truth is absolution, from sorrow to serenity, its on your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killswitch-engage/from-sorrow-to-serenity-the-truth-is-absolution-from-sorrow-to/)

[Killswitch Engage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killswitch-engage/)

> [“There's absolution and purity to fucking that strips people back to their primal core.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-french/there-s-absolution-and-purity-to-fucking-that-strips-people-back-to/)

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> [“There's a price for absolution on this planet, and it's called penance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spider-robinson/there-s-a-price-for-absolution-on-this-planet-and-it-s-called-penance/)

[Spider Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spider-robinson/)

> [It is by far the most elegant worship, hardly excepting the Greek mythology. What with incense, pictures, statues, altars, shrines, relics, and the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/it-is-by-far-the-most-elegant-worship-hardly-excepting-the-greek/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [I tell you, guilt dwells nowhere but in the eyes of the accuser. This men know even as they deny it, which is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/i-tell-you-guilt-dwells-nowhere-but-in-the-eyes-of-the-accuser-this/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

## More by J.T. Ellison

> [“Taylor said a prayer for the man, and apologized out loud. Knowing there was nothing left to do, she turned to leave. As she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/taylor-said-a-prayer-for-the-man-and-apologized-out-loud-knowing/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

> [“Quinn gave her a warm smile that belied the master/servant nature of their relationship. “Gabrielle, possiamo avere due Coca Lights, per favore? Grazie.” Gabrielle”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/quinn-gave-her-a-warm-smile-that-belied-the-master-servant-nature-of/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

> [“She tried not to think of her father, once a brief inmate of those twenty-foot-high, three-foot-thick crenellated walls. Now”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/she-tried-not-to-think-of-her-father-once-a-brief-inmate-of-those/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

> [“She turned and eyed Jane, her dark eyes cool. Jane could see the thought process. Competition? Nope. Jane was dismissed after a moment without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/she-turned-and-eyed-jane-her-dark-eyes-cool-jane-could-see-the/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

> [“Like her name, Jasmine Allôns was dusky and exotic. The woman bled sensuality, as if she were in a constant state of karmic sexuality—a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/like-her-name-jasmine-all-ns-was-dusky-and-exotic-the-woman-bled/)

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> [“Think of the difficulties facing an exceptionally talented child. A completely controlled existence, a world structured around said child’s genius. Constant work, attention, adulation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/think-of-the-difficulties-facing-an-exceptionally-talented-child-a/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

> [“I hope this means you’re getting a new lab?” “I don’t know, T. I gotta run, we’ve got Aiden’s autopsy done and I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/i-hope-this-means-you-re-getting-a-new-lab-i-don-t-know-t-i-gotta-run/)

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> [“Taylor didn’t know how the woman stood being the center of so much derision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/taylor-didn-t-know-how-the-woman-stood-being-the-center-of-so-much/)

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[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

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> [“I’ll see you there,” Taylor said, and Richardson nodded. Good humor was gone. They were preparing to delve into the Snow White murders, feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/i-ll-see-you-there-taylor-said-and-richardson-nodded-good-humor-was/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

> [“He grinned at her then, a lupine smile that tore away the handsome, collegian jock and made him look dangerous. “No.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/he-grinned-at-her-then-a-lupine-smile-that-tore-away-the-handsome/)

[J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

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[Explore all 262 J.T. Ellison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/)

## More Absolution quotes

> [I tell you, guilt dwells nowhere but in the eyes of the accuser. This men know even as they deny it, which is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/i-tell-you-guilt-dwells-nowhere-but-in-the-eyes-of-the-accuser-this/)

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> [From sorrow to serenity, the truth is absolution, from sorrow to serenity, its on your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killswitch-engage/from-sorrow-to-serenity-the-truth-is-absolution-from-sorrow-to/)

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[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [Our own acts are isolated and one act does not buy absolution for another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/our-own-acts-are-isolated-and-one-act-does-not-buy-absolution-for/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

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[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [“Psychoanalysis is confession without absolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/psychoanalysis-is-confession-without-absolution/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“I find something repulsive about the idea of vicarious redemption. I would not throw my numberless sins onto a scapegoat and expect them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-find-something-repulsive-about-the-idea-of-vicarious-redemption-i/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-the-confession-not-the-priest-that-gives-us-absolution/)

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> [There is nothing absolute and final. If everything were ironclad, all the rules absolute and everything structured so no paradox or irony existed, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-bentov/there-is-nothing-absolute-and-final-if-everything-were-ironclad-all/)

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> [The truth brings with it a great measure of absolution, always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-truth-brings-with-it-a-great-measure-of-absolution-always/)

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> [For one thing, the Catholic Church in particular has this one thing - confession - in which you could go, confess to a priest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/for-one-thing-the-catholic-church-in-particular-has-this-one-thing/)

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