--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Doing what is right in the face of…" description: "\"Doing what is right in the face of adversity is not always easy or popular. Critics may assail you, but the critics don't always realize what they don'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/john-ashcroft-9612_access_doing-what-is-right-in-the-face-of-adver_3155149.jpg" --- # Doing what is right in the face of adversity is not always… ![“Doing what is right in the face of adversity is not always easy or popular. Critics may assail you, but the critics don't always realize what they don't know or don't understand, because they don't have access to all the information.” quote by John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/john-ashcroft-9612_access_doing-what-is-right-in-the-face-of-adver_3155149.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/john-ashcroft-9612_access_doing-what-is-right-in-the-face-of-adver_3155149.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/john-ashcroft-9612_access_doing-what-is-right-in-the-face-of-adver_3155149.jpg) > “Doing what is right in the face of adversity is not always easy or popular. Critics may assail you, but the critics don't always realize what they don't know or don't understand, because they don't have access to all the information.” [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Doing right in adversity is hard; critics may misunderstand due to limited information. **In simple terms:** Right actions can be unpopular and misunderstood. Key Takeaway Stand firm despite criticism. Themes morality adversity criticism Mood reflective resolute Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - political leadership - whistleblowing - personal dilemmas - media scrutiny Key Concepts ethical decision‑making public perception Questions to Reflect On - What information would change critics’ views? - How do you handle misinformation? A Different Perspective Critics may have valid concerns that are ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Doing What Is Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-what-is-right/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Facing adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facing-adversity/) ## Related quotes > [Let us be brave in the face of adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-elder/let-us-be-brave-in-the-face-of-adversity/) [Seneca the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-elder/) > [Our greatest battle is to become ourselves, in the face of adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/our-greatest-battle-is-to-become-ourselves-in-the-face-of-adversity/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [I'm able to make decisions even in the face of adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/i-m-able-to-make-decisions-even-in-the-face-of-adversity/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [A person who smiles in the face of adversity...probably has a scapegoat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-person-who-smiles-in-the-face-of-adversity-probably-has-a-scapegoat/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [No man can smile in the face of adversity and mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/no-man-can-smile-in-the-face-of-adversity-and-mean-it/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [A true champion is not judged by how much he or she is admired, but by how well they can stand at the face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/a-true-champion-is-not-judged-by-how-much-he-or-she-is-admired-but-by/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [In the face of adversity, hope often comes in the form of a friend who reaches out to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/in-the-face-of-adversity-hope-often-comes-in-the-form-of-a-friend-who/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [If you voluntarily quit in the face of adversity, you'll wonder about it for the rest of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/if-you-voluntarily-quit-in-the-face-of-adversity-you-ll-wonder-about/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I think persistence in the face of adversity is an essential part of a writer’s job description. If you don’t care enough about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-block/i-think-persistence-in-the-face-of-adversity-is-an-essential-part-of/) [Lawrence Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-block/) > [In the face of adversity, you find out if you're a fighter or a quitter. It's all about getting up after you've been knocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-griffin/in-the-face-of-adversity-you-find-out-if-you-re-a-fighter-or-a/) Archie Griffin > [I do not walk away in the face of adversity and never have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-do-not-walk-away-in-the-face-of-adversity-and-never-have/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [The wisest among us - the genuine leaders - smile in the face of adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/the-wisest-among-us-the-genuine-leaders-smile-in-the-face-of-adversity/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/harry-potter-is-about-confronting-fears-finding-inner-strength-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [In adversity it is easy to despise life; he is truly brave who can endure a wretched life. \[Lat., Rebus in angustis facile est…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/in-adversity-it-is-easy-to-despise-life-he-is-truly-brave-who-can/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [In adversity it is easy to despise life; he is truly brave who can endure a writeched life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/in-adversity-it-is-easy-to-despise-life-he-is-truly-brave-who-can-2/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) ## More by John Ashcroft > [An FBI agent ought to be able to surf the net and look for sites that instruct people how to make bombs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/an-fbi-agent-ought-to-be-able-to-surf-the-net-and-look-for-sites-that/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [The FBI has long been a part of the security for the nation's banks because bank robberies have been a priority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/the-fbi-has-long-been-a-part-of-the-security-for-the-nation-s-banks/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [Our priorities should be: recognizing the voice of God and responding to the voice of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/our-priorities-should-be-recognizing-the-voice-of-god-and-responding/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [People who commit crimes should be responsible for those crimes. It doesn't matter whether they're priests or ministers or atheists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/people-who-commit-crimes-should-be-responsible-for-those-crimes-it/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [I decided this early on at Justice: if the traditional way was the most effective way of doing something, then we'd maintain it. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/i-decided-this-early-on-at-justice-if-the-traditional-way-was-the/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [We must not descend to the level of those who perpetrated Tuesday's violence by targeting individuals based on their race, their religion, or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/we-must-not-descend-to-the-level-of-those-who-perpetrated-tuesday-s/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [We've got a major problem in our culture, as it relates to the Internet and pornography and child pornography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/we-ve-got-a-major-problem-in-our-culture-as-it-relates-to-the/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [The FBI. is a massive culture. It's been a culture that served America well, and it's been focused on prosecution. But what we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/the-fbi-is-a-massive-culture-it-s-been-a-culture-that-served-america/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [Any citizen who's offended ... can leave the service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/any-citizen-who-s-offended-can-leave-the-service/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [I feel the best way to ensure Americans' freedom is to tighten restrictions on that freedom in any way possible. Only through wiretaps, illegal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/i-feel-the-best-way-to-ensure-americans-freedom-is-to-tighten/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [Frankly, the president, during the first opportunity I had to be in a Cabinet meeting, before we started the meeting, he said, Folks, before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/frankly-the-president-during-the-first-opportunity-i-had-to-be-in-a/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [Nothing remains great without a capacity to change and to accommodate the conditions of a changing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/nothing-remains-great-without-a-capacity-to-change-and-to-accommodate/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [Unique among the nations, America recognized the source of our character as being godly and eternal, not being civic and temporal. And because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/unique-among-the-nations-america-recognized-the-source-of-our/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [What did John Ashcroft say about moderates, he said, quote, there are two things you find in the middle of the road, a moderate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/what-did-john-ashcroft-say-about-moderates-he-said-quote-there-are/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) > [We must embrace the power of faith, but we must never confuse politics and piety. For me, may I say that it is against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashcroft/we-must-embrace-the-power-of-faith-but-we-must-never-confuse-politics/) [John Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) [Explore all 71 John Ashcroft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashcroft/) ## More Access quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You can disseminate your art, and it's all such easy access now. The upside to it is that more people are creating than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/you-can-disseminate-your-art-and-it-s-all-such-easy-access-now-the/) [Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [The best way to fight poverty is to empower people through access to quality education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/the-best-way-to-fight-poverty-is-to-empower-people-through-access-to/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Because the Internet's there, I have access to a lot of the legends, like Fela Kuti. I used to watch a lot of Fela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/because-the-internet-s-there-i-have-access-to-a-lot-of-the-legends/) [King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/) > [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Schools have never been about getting access to information. That's the job of libraries. Schools and universities have nobler missions as gentle gatekeepers. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-nikiforuk/schools-have-never-been-about-getting-access-to-information-that-s/) Andrew Nikiforuk > [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. 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