--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are privileged, and the duty of…" description: "\"We are privileged, and the duty of privilege is absolute integrity.\" — John O'Donohue" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/911/john-o-donohue-1919_duty_we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privil_928572.jpg" --- # We are privileged, and the duty of privilege is absolute… ![“We are privileged, and the duty of privilege is absolute integrity.” quote by John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/911/john-o-donohue-1919_duty_we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privil_928572.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/911/john-o-donohue-1919_duty_we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privil_928572.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/911/john-o-donohue-1919_duty_we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privil_928572.jpg) > “We are privileged, and the duty of privilege is absolute integrity.” [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Privilege carries an ethical duty to act with absolute integrity. **In simple terms:** Privilege demands high moral standards. Key Takeaway Uphold integrity in privileged positions. Themes ethics privilege responsibility integrity Mood reflective inspirational Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - Leadership roles - wealth management - public service - education mentorship Key Concepts Moral philosophy social hierarchy ethical duty Questions to Reflect On - How can privileged individuals maintain integrity? - What structures support ethical behavior? A Different Perspective Integrity can be compromised by self-interest. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) ## Related quotes > [A good deed is not just a duty, but above all, a privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-arison/a-good-deed-is-not-just-a-duty-but-above-all-a-privilege/) [Shari Arison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-arison/) > [Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/think-of-giving-not-as-a-duty-but-as-a-privilege/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's several different forms of executive privilege. The one that is most absolute would be close advisers talking to the president himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/there-s-several-different-forms-of-executive-privilege-the-one-that/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [It is far more important the law should be administered with absolute integrity, than that in this case or in that the law should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-coleridge-1st-baron-coleridge/it-is-far-more-important-the-law-should-be-administered-with-absolute/) [John Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-coleridge-1st-baron-coleridge/) > [Make living your life with absolute integrity and kindness your first priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carlson/make-living-your-life-with-absolute-integrity-and-kindness-your-first/) [Richard Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carlson/) > [When the precepts and example of Jesus Christ fully interpermeate society, to labor with the hands will be regarded not only as a duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-beecher/when-the-precepts-and-example-of-jesus-christ-fully-interpermeate/) [Catharine Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-beecher/) > [It is our duty and our privilege to keep America moving forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-frist/it-is-our-duty-and-our-privilege-to-keep-america-moving-forward/) [Bill Frist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-frist/) > [Think of giving not only as a duty but as a privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/think-of-giving-not-only-as-a-duty-but-as-a-privilege/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [It is a strange and wonderful fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/it-is-a-strange-and-wonderful-fact-to-be-here-walking-around-in-a/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [If you try to avoid or remove the awkward quality, it will pursue you. The only effective way to still its unease is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/if-you-try-to-avoid-or-remove-the-awkward-quality-it-will-pursue-you/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [“holiness is a privilege, as well as a duty; it is a reward, a benefit to him who walks therein.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various/holiness-is-a-privilege-as-well-as-a-duty-it-is-a-reward-a-benefit-to/) Various > [The greatest privilege and greatest duty for any man is to be happily married, and no other form of success or service, for either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-greatest-privilege-and-greatest-duty-for-any-man-is-to-be-happily/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The privilege of prayer to me is one of the most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-grenfell/the-privilege-of-prayer-to-me-is-one-of-the-most-cherished/) [Wilfred Grenfell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-grenfell/) > [What a great privilege it is to be here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-l-oscarson/what-a-great-privilege-it-is-to-be-here/) [Bonnie L. Oscarson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-l-oscarson/) > [Black Privilege is a concrete motive that black people benefit from, such as racism but racism on whites. Black people don't know it but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/black-privilege-is-a-concrete-motive-that-black-people-benefit-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John O'Donohue > [I always was kind of on the edge of the church when I was fully in it , cos I was always asking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/i-always-was-kind-of-on-the-edge-of-the-church-when-i-was-fully-in-it/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Real friendship or love is not manufactured or achieved by an act of will or intention. Friendship is always an act of recognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/real-friendship-or-love-is-not-manufactured-or-achieved-by-an-act-of/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [It is lovely to meet an old person whose face is deeply lined, a face that has been deeply inhabited, to look in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/it-is-lovely-to-meet-an-old-person-whose-face-is-deeply-lined-a-face/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [“For Someone Awakening To The Trauma of His or Her Past: For everything under the sun there is a time. This is the season…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/for-someone-awakening-to-the-trauma-of-his-or-her-past-for-everything/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [It is a strange and wonderful fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/it-is-a-strange-and-wonderful-fact-to-be-here-walking-around-in-a/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [“If we could be mindful of how short our time is, we might learn how precious each day is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/if-we-could-be-mindful-of-how-short-our-time-is-we-might-learn-how/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [If you try to avoid or remove the awkward quality, it will pursue you. The only effective way to still its unease is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/if-you-try-to-avoid-or-remove-the-awkward-quality-it-will-pursue-you/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/a-friend-is-a-loved-one-who-awakens-your-life-in-order-to-free-the/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [“There is a poetic import to the phrase ‘without a shadow of a doubt’: in all probability, there is no doubt without a shadow.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/there-is-a-poetic-import-to-the-phrase-without-a-shadow-of-a-doubt-in/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [If you allow yourself to be the person you are then everything will come into rhythm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/if-you-allow-yourself-to-be-the-person-you-are-then-everything-will/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Much of the stress and emptiness that haunt us can be traced back to our lack of attention to beauty. Internally, the mind becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/much-of-the-stress-and-emptiness-that-haunt-us-can-be-traced-back-to/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Consumerism is the worship of the god of quantity; advertising is its liturgy. Advertising is schooling in false longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/consumerism-is-the-worship-of-the-god-of-quantity-advertising-is-its/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Inspiration is always a surprising visitor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/inspiration-is-always-a-surprising-visitor/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [Thought is an amazing thing: it can be a mirror, a lens, a bridge, a wall, a window, a ladder or a house. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/thought-is-an-amazing-thing-it-can-be-a-mirror-a-lens-a-bridge-a-wall/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [ We \[humans\] are the only creatures who are in-between. We're of the earth, but don't belong to it, because we strain after the heavens;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/we-humans-are-the-only-creatures-who-are-in-between-we-re-of-the/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) [Explore all 198 John O'Donohue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) ## More Duty quotes > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/few-political-debates-have-been-as-divisive-as-the-european-one-i/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Is that what they teach you at the convent? That the gods demand the hearts from our bodies?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/is-that-what-they-teach-you-at-the-convent-that-the-gods-demand-the/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [The less we show our love to a woman, Or please her less, and neglect our duty, The more we trap and ruin her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/the-less-we-show-our-love-to-a-woman-or-please-her-less-and-neglect/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“You have a right to be sad, and a duty to move on. Only wins who wipes the tears, gather strength and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/you-have-a-right-to-be-sad-and-a-duty-to-move-on-only-wins-who-wipes/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Regardless of how you feel about war and peace those serving military are doing a duty for the rest of us and they're protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/regardless-of-how-you-feel-about-war-and-peace-those-serving-military/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [“Duty is a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/duty-is-a-done-deal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I do not so much rejoice that God hath made me to be a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-do-not-so-much-rejoice-that-god-hath-made-me-to-be-a-queen-as-to-be/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) [Browse all 5,178 Duty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are privileged, and the duty of privilege is absolute integrity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John O'Donohue" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privilege-is-absolute-integrity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Duty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privilege-is-absolute-integrity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/911/john-o-donohue-1919_duty_we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privil_928572.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/911/john-o-donohue-1919_duty_we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privil_928572.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/911/john-o-donohue-1919_duty_we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privil_928572.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are privileged, and the duty of privilege is absolute integrity.” — John O'Donohue", "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": "John O'Donohue", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are privileged, and the duty...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privilege-is-absolute-integrity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/we-are-privileged-and-the-duty-of-privilege-is-absolute-integrity/#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 } } ] } ```