Character Quote by John Stuart Mill
““The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest-Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill, 1863
The principle says actions are moral if they increase overall happiness and reduce suffering, measuring right and wrong by their consequences for pleasure and pain.
In simple terms: Moral rightness depends on promoting happiness and avoiding pain.
Key Takeaway
Seek to maximize collective well‑being.
Themes
ethics
consequentialism
happiness
morality
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
ethical
reflective
When to use this quote
- policy making
- business decisions
- personal choices
- public health
- environmental regulation
Key Concepts
utilitarianism
greatest happiness principle
pleasure principle
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance individual happiness with societal welfare?
- When might reducing pain conflict with justice?
A Different Perspective
It can overlook minority rights or long‑term harms for short‑term pleasure.
![“[For people] to refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility.” quote by John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c53/john-stuart-mill-477_doubt_for-people-to-refuse-a-hearing-to-an-opi_63929.jpg)
