--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are many who consider as an injury…" description: "\"“There are many who consider as an injury to themselves any conduct which they have a distaste for, and resent it as an outrage to their feelings; as a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d5/john-stuart-mill-477_drugs_there-are-many-who-consider-as-an-injury_296764.png" --- # There are many who consider as an injury to themselves any… ![“There are many who consider as an injury to themselves any conduct which they have a distaste for, and resent it as an outrage to their feelings; as a religious bigot, when charged with disregarding the religious feelings of others, has been known to retort that they disregard his feelings, by…” quote by John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d5/john-stuart-mill-477_drugs_there-are-many-who-consider-as-an-injury_296764.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d5/john-stuart-mill-477_drugs_there-are-many-who-consider-as-an-injury_296764.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d5/john-stuart-mill-477_drugs_there-are-many-who-consider-as-an-injury_296764.png) > ““There are many who consider as an injury to themselves any conduct which they have a distaste for, and resent it as an outrage to their feelings; as a religious bigot, when charged with disregarding the religious feelings of others, has been known to retort that they disregard his feelings, by persisting in their abominable worship or creed. But there is no parity between the feeling of a person for his own opinion, and the feeling of another who is offended at his holding it; no more than between the desire of a thief to take a purse, and the desire of the right owner to keep it. And a person's taste is as much his own peculiar concern as his opinion or his purse. It is easy for any one to imagine an ideal public, which leaves the freedom and choice of individuals in all uncertain matters undisturbed, and only requires them to abstain from modes of conduct which universal experience has condemned. But where has there been seen a public which set any such limit to its censorship? or when does the public trouble itself about universal experience. In its interferences with personal conduct it is seldom thinking of anything but the enormity of acting or feeling differently from itself; and this standard of judgment, thinly disguised, is held up to mankind as the dictate of religion and philosophy, by nine tenths of all moralists and speculative writers. These teach that things are right because they are right; because we feel them to be so. They tell us to search in our own minds and hearts for laws of conduct binding on ourselves and on all others. What can the poor public do but apply these instructions, and make their own personal feelings of good and evil, if they are tolerably unanimous in them, obligatory on all the world?”” [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that personal tastes and opinions are private, and society should not impose its moral judgments on individuals, as true liberty requires respecting diverse private convictions. **In simple terms:** Personal opinions are private; society shouldn't enforce its morals on everyone. Key Takeaway Respect individual freedom of belief and taste. Themes freedom individual rights tolerance morality societal norms Mood thoughtful critical philosophical Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - public policy debates - education curricula - media regulation - interpersonal conflicts - legal judgments Key Concepts liberalism personal autonomy ethical relativism Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance personal liberty with societal protection? - When should society intervene in private conduct? A Different Perspective The ideal of unrestricted personal freedom may clash with the need for social cohesion and protection against harmful actions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drugs/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuality/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Personal feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-feelings/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [You do not have to be convicted or even charged of a crime to be able to demonstrate that you've violated a personal conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-goodell/you-do-not-have-to-be-convicted-or-even-charged-of-a-crime-to-be-able/) [Roger Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-goodell/) > [Character is better than ancestry, and personal conduct is of more importance than the highest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-john-barnardo/character-is-better-than-ancestry-and-personal-conduct-is-of-more/) [Thomas John Barnardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-john-barnardo/) > [“My heart is properly cultivated ... and is not left to wither under the burden of cold erudition, and my religious feelings are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schleiermacher/my-heart-is-properly-cultivated-and-is-not-left-to-wither-under-the/) [Friedrich Schleiermacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schleiermacher/) > [I was forced, through seeing the error of their foundation, to abandon all belief in every religion which had been taught to man. 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But there is no parity between the feeling of a person for his own opinion, and the feeling of another who is offended at his holding it; no more than between the desire of a thief to take a purse, and the desire of the right owner to keep it. And a person's taste is as much his own peculiar concern as his opinion or his purse. It is easy for any one to imagine an ideal public, which leaves the freedom and choice of individuals in all uncertain matters undisturbed, and only requires them to abstain from modes of conduct which universal experience has condemned. But where has there been seen a public which set any such limit to its censorship? or when does the public trouble itself about universal experience. 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