---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: . . .we fumble through and make decisions…"
description: "\"“. . .we fumble through and make decisions that allow us to sleep at night- because morals are more important than ethics, and love is more important t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/jodi-picoult-45_character_we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-tha_2887258.jpg"
---

#  . . .we fumble through and make decisions that allow us to…

![“. . .we fumble through and make decisions that allow us to sleep at night- because morals are more important than ethics, and love is more important than the law.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/jodi-picoult-45_character_we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-tha_2887258.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/jodi-picoult-45_character_we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-tha_2887258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/jodi-picoult-45_character_we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-tha_2887258.jpg)

> ““. . .we fumble through and make decisions that allow us to sleep at night- because morals are more important than ethics, and love is more important than the law.””

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

## About This Quote

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

Moral choices outweigh legal constraints; love guides ethical decisions beyond law.

**In simple terms:** Love often supersedes legal or ethical rules.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize compassion over strict legality.

Themes

ethics love morality law

Mood

emotional thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- family decisions
- medical ethics
- legal disputes

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- When should love override law?
- How do you resolve conflicts between ethics and legality?

A Different Perspective

Legal systems exist to protect rights; ignoring them can cause chaos.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Ethics Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics-love-663588/) [Important Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-ethics-663590/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Morals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morals/) [Morals Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morals-important-331638/) [Night Morals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-morals-663589/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/)

## Related quotes

> [The answer is that there is no good answer. So as parents, as doctors, as judges, and as a society, we fumble through and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-answer-is-that-there-is-no-good-answer-so-as-parents-as-doctors/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [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/)

> [It is a very nice world-that is, if you remember that while morals are all-important between the Lord and His creatures, what counts between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander-percy/it-is-a-very-nice-world-that-is-if-you-remember-that-while-morals-are/)

[William Alexander Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander-percy/)

> [Morals are not the important thing-nor enlightenment-nor civilization. A man can do absolutely well without them, but he can't do without something to eat.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/morals-are-not-the-important-thing-nor-enlightenment-nor-civilization/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Just as white light consists of colored rays, so reverence for life contains all the components of ethics: love, kindliness, sympathy, empathy, peacefulness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/just-as-white-light-consists-of-colored-rays-so-reverence-for-life/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [“An atheist is respectable as long as he does not teach that the dignity of man is the basis of ethics and that love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/an-atheist-is-respectable-as-long-as-he-does-not-teach-that-the/)

[Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/)

> [It may not have the virtuous ring of the golden rule, but the maxim 'never say never' is one of the most important in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/it-may-not-have-the-virtuous-ring-of-the-golden-rule-but-the-maxim/)

[Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/)

> [Science is important, but so is ethics, so is balancing life. To destroy life to save life - it's one of the real ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/science-is-important-but-so-is-ethics-so-is-balancing-life-to-destroy/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [In just about every area of society, there's nothing more important than ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/in-just-about-every-area-of-society-there-s-nothing-more-important/)

[Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/)

> [A man may not transgress the bounds of major morals, but may make errors in minor morals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/a-man-may-not-transgress-the-bounds-of-major-morals-but-may-make/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [Art and morality are, with certain provisos…one. Their essence is the same. The essence of both of them is love. Love is the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/art-and-morality-are-with-certain-provisos-one-their-essence-is-the/)

[Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/)

> [Act so as to elicit the best in others and thereby in thyself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/act-so-as-to-elicit-the-best-in-others-and-thereby-in-thyself/)

[Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/)

> [“Jeg skal alltid handle slik at den regelen jeg handler etter kunne gjelde som allmenn lov.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/jeg-skal-alltid-handle-slik-at-den-regelen-jeg-handler-etter-kunne/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

> [Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-carroll-of-carrollton/without-morals-a-republic-cannot-subsist-any-length-of-time-they/)

[Charles Carroll of Carrollton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-carroll-of-carrollton/)

> [Many men without morals have attacked religion because it was contrary to their inclinations. Many wise men have despised it because it seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-d-holbach/many-men-without-morals-have-attacked-religion-because-it-was/)

[Baron d'Holbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-d-holbach/)

## More by Jodi Picoult

> [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

[Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

[David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/)

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“. . .we fumble through and make decisions that allow us to sleep at night- because morals are more important than ethics, and love is more important than the law.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jodi Picoult"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-that-allow-us-to-sleep-at-night/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-that-allow-us-to-sleep-at-night/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/jodi-picoult-45_character_we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-tha_2887258.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/jodi-picoult-45_character_we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-tha_2887258.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/956/jodi-picoult-45_character_we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-tha_2887258.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“. . .we fumble through and make decisions that allow us to sleep at night- because morals are more important…” — Jodi Picoult",
                "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": "Jodi Picoult",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“. . .we fumble through and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-that-allow-us-to-sleep-at-night/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/we-fumble-through-and-make-decisions-that-allow-us-to-sleep-at-night/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
