--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nature has placed mankind under the…" description: "\"“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/jeremy-bentham-7785_ethics_nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-gove_3153767.jpg" --- # Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two… ![“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do. On the one hand the standard of right and wrong, on the other the chain of causes and effects, are fastened…” quote by Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/jeremy-bentham-7785_ethics_nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-gove_3153767.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/jeremy-bentham-7785_ethics_nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-gove_3153767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/jeremy-bentham-7785_ethics_nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-gove_3153767.jpg) > ““Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do. On the one hand the standard of right and wrong, on the other the chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. They govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and confirm it. In words a man may pretend to abjure their empire: but in reality he will remain subject to it all the while. The principle of utility recognizes this subjection, and assumes it for the foundation of that system, the object of which is to rear the fabric of felicity by the hands of reason and of law. Systems which attempt to question it, deal in sounds instead of sense, in caprice instead of reason, in darkness instead of light.”” [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human actions are driven by pain and pleasure, which dictate moral judgments and consequences; utilitarianism builds on this to maximize overall happiness. **In simple terms:** Pain and pleasure guide morality; utilitarianism seeks greatest happiness. Key Takeaway Consider consequences when judging actions. Themes ethics philosophy human nature Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical theoretical When to use this quote - policy making - personal decisions - legal judgments - social reforms Key Concepts utilitarianism consequentialism moral psychology Questions to Reflect On - What role do duty and intention play? - Can happiness be measured objectively? A Different Perspective Complex human motives may not fit simple pleasure‑pain model. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Moral philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-philosophy/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain and pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-and-pleasure/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) [Utilitarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utilitarianism/) ## Related quotes > [Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-governance-of-two-sovereign/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Live according to Nature, runs the maxim of the West; but according to what nature, the nature of the body or the nature which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/live-according-to-nature-runs-the-maxim-of-the-west-but-according-to/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [Happiness is a very pretty thing to feel, but very dry to talk about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/happiness-is-a-very-pretty-thing-to-feel-but-very-dry-to-talk-about/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [...the rarest of all human qualities is consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-rarest-of-all-human-qualities-is-consistency/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Nature has placed mankind under the government of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-government-of-two-sovereign-2/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [I am indeed a hedonistic utilitarian. I have defended hedonistic utilitarianism for quite a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbjorn-tannsjo/i-am-indeed-a-hedonistic-utilitarian-i-have-defended-hedonistic/) [Torbjorn Tannsjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbjorn-tannsjo/) > [Critics of Consequentialism have often assumed that hedonism (or preference-satisfaction) must be the theory of the good, that the deontic principle must be maximizing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/critics-of-consequentialism-have-often-assumed-that-hedonism-or/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Bentham spent much of his life writing constitutions and proposing legal reform in the light of his utilitarianism. The evaluation of particular acts was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/bentham-spent-much-of-his-life-writing-constitutions-and-proposing/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Nietzsche is absolutely correct, even more correct today than when he wrote it in Thus Spake Zarathustra: I looked all about me for human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/nietzsche-is-absolutely-correct-even-more-correct-today-than-when-he/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [“Instead of the greatest happiness for the greatest number, one should demand, more modestly, the least amount of avoidable suffering for all; and further,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-r-popper/instead-of-the-greatest-happiness-for-the-greatest-number-one-should/) [Karl R. Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-r-popper/) > [“Many of the innovations in science and philosophy have come from unbelievers, some of whom died for their 'unbeliefs.' Without unbelief, we might well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-stein/many-of-the-innovations-in-science-and-philosophy-have-come-from/) [Gordon Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-stein/) > [“All social inequalities which have ceased to be considered expedient, assume the character not of simple inexpediency, but of injustice, and appear so tyrannical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-social-inequalities-which-have-ceased-to-be-considered-expedient/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [The utilitarian behaves sensibly in all that is required for preservation but never takes account of the fact that he must die...His whole life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/the-utilitarian-behaves-sensibly-in-all-that-is-required-for/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Utilitarianism is a civilization of production and of use, a civilization of "things" and not of "persons," a civilization in which persons are used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/utilitarianism-is-a-civilization-of-production-and-of-use-a/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [“The religion of orgasm: utilitarianism projected into sex life; efficiency versus indolence; coition reduced to an obstacle to be got past as quickly as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-religion-of-orgasm-utilitarianism-projected-into-sex-life/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## More by Jeremy Bentham > [All poetry is misrepresentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/all-poetry-is-misrepresentation/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [The law of England has established trial by judge and jury in the conviction that it is the mode best calculated to ascertain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-law-of-england-has-established-trial-by-judge-and-jury-in-the/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Prose is when all the lines except the last go on to the end. Poetry is when some of them fall short of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/prose-is-when-all-the-lines-except-the-last-go-on-to-the-end-poetry/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [O Logic: born gatekeeper to the Temple of Science, victim of capricious destiny: doomed hitherto to be the drudge of pedants: come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/o-logic-born-gatekeeper-to-the-temple-of-science-victim-of-capricious/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Every law is an infraction of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/every-law-is-an-infraction-of-liberty/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/stretching-his-hand-up-to-reach-the-stars-too-often-man-forgets-the/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [The principle of asceticism never was, nor ever can be, consistently pursued by any living creature. Let but one tenth part of the inhabitants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-principle-of-asceticism-never-was-nor-ever-can-be-consistently/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Tyranny and anarchy are never far apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/tyranny-and-anarchy-are-never-far-apart/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Reputation is the road to power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/reputation-is-the-road-to-power/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [In the mind of all, fiction, in the logical sense, has been the coin of necessity;—in that of poets of amusement—in that of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/in-the-mind-of-all-fiction-in-the-logical-sense-has-been-the-coin-of/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [The turn of a sentence has decided the fate of many a friendship, and, for aught that we know, the fate of many a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/the-turn-of-a-sentence-has-decided-the-fate-of-many-a-friendship-and/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [“For the same sentiment of antipathy, if implicitly deferred to, may be, and very frequently is, productive of the very worst effects. Antipathy, therefore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/for-the-same-sentiment-of-antipathy-if-implicitly-deferred-to-may-be/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [If Christianity needed an Anti-Christ, they needed look no farther than Paul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/if-christianity-needed-an-anti-christ-they-needed-look-no-farther/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [Without publicity, no good is permanent; under the auspices of publicity, no evil can continue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/without-publicity-no-good-is-permanent-under-the-auspices-of/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) > [All punishment is mischief; all punishment in itself is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/all-punishment-is-mischief-all-punishment-in-itself-is-evil/) [Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) [Explore all 87 Jeremy Bentham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/) ## More Ethics 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 > [He who mistrusts most should be trusted least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theognis-of-megara/he-who-mistrusts-most-should-be-trusted-least/) [Theognis of Megara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theognis-of-megara/) > [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/) > [Ethics is the activity of man directed to secure the inner perfection of his own personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/ethics-is-the-activity-of-man-directed-to-secure-the-inner-perfection/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [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/) > [Records, radio, television, movies, magazines-all are monopolized by the money managers who are guided by one ethic, the words wealth and power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/records-radio-television-movies-magazines-all-are-monopolized-by-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [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/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ethics is not definable, is not implementable, because it is not conscious; it involves not only our thinking, but also our feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valdemar-w-setzer/ethics-is-not-definable-is-not-implementable-because-it-is-not/) Valdemar W Setzer > [Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-hayes/any-time-you-give-a-man-something-he-doesn-t-earn-you-cheapen-him-our/) [Woody Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-hayes/) [Browse all 4,548 Ethics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do. On the one hand the standard of right and wrong, on the other the chain of causes and effects, are fastened to their throne. They govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and confirm it. In words a man may pretend to abjure their empire: but in reality he will remain subject to it all the while. The principle of utility recognizes this subjection, and assumes it for the foundation of that system, the object of which is to rear the fabric of felicity by the hands of reason and of law. Systems which attempt to question it, deal in sounds instead of sense, in caprice instead of reason, in darkness instead of light.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeremy Bentham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-governance-of-two-sovereign-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ethics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-governance-of-two-sovereign-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/jeremy-bentham-7785_ethics_nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-gove_3153767.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/jeremy-bentham-7785_ethics_nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-gove_3153767.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2e/jeremy-bentham-7785_ethics_nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-gove_3153767.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them…” — Jeremy Bentham", "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": "Jeremy Bentham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Nature has placed mankind under the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-governance-of-two-sovereign-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/nature-has-placed-mankind-under-the-governance-of-two-sovereign-2/#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 } } ] } ```