---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To do as one would be done by, and to…"
description: "\"To do as one would be done by, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality\" — John Stuart Mill"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/john-stuart-mill-477_character_to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-lov_2183061.png"
---

#  To do as one would be done by, and to love one's neighbour…

![“To do as one would be done by, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality” quote by John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/john-stuart-mill-477_character_to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-lov_2183061.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/john-stuart-mill-477_character_to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-lov_2183061.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/john-stuart-mill-477_character_to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-lov_2183061.png)

> “To do as one would be done by, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality”

[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 ideal utilitarian moral rule is to treat others as you would like to be treated and to love them as you love yourself, achieving moral perfection.

**In simple terms:** Treat others as you want to be treated and love them as yourself.

Key Takeaway

Practice empathy and reciprocal care.

Themes

ethics utilitarianism reciprocity love perfection

Mood

reflective compassionate

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- community building
- conflict resolution
- policy making

Key Concepts

Moral philosophy reciprocal altruism human dignity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance personal love with impartial utility?
- When does self‑interest conflict with universal love?

A Different Perspective

May overlook individual rights in favor of aggregate happiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Constitute Ideal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitute-ideal-4724121/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Ideal Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideal-perfection-3493130/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Neighbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbour/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Oneself Constitute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself-constitute-4724122/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Perfection Utilitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection-utilitarian-4724120/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Utilitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utilitarian/) [Utilitarian Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/utilitarian-morality-4724119/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [A perfect human being: Man in search of his ideal of perfection. Nothing less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-perfect-human-being-man-in-search-of-his-ideal-of-perfection/)

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

> [“Beautiful city! so venerable, so lovely, so unravaged by the fierce intellectual life of our century, so serene!… Her ineffable charm keeps ever calling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/beautiful-city-so-venerable-so-lovely-so-unravaged-by-the-fierce/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [The crisis besetting America is not just an economic or political crisis; something deeper is wreaking havoc across the land, a mercenary and utilitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/the-crisis-besetting-america-is-not-just-an-economic-or-political/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [I do not see why the axiom of Prudence should not be questioned, when it conflicts with present inclination, on a ground similar to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-sidgwick/i-do-not-see-why-the-axiom-of-prudence-should-not-be-questioned-when/)

[Henry Sidgwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-sidgwick/)

> [Worship ought not to be construed in a utilitarian way. Its purpose is not to gain numbers nor for our church to be seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marva-dawn/worship-ought-not-to-be-construed-in-a-utilitarian-way-its-purpose-is/)

[Marva Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marva-dawn/)

> [No word meaning "art" occurs in Aivilik, nor does "artist": there are only people. Nor is any distinction made between utilitarian and decorative objects.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-snow-carpenter/no-word-meaning-art-occurs-in-aivilik-nor-does-artist-there-are-only/)

[Edmund Snow Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-snow-carpenter/)

> [ We thought \[with Alix MacKenzie\], if those are the kinds of pots from every culture that interest us, why would we think that it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/we-thought-with-alix-mackenzie-if-those-are-the-kinds-of-pots-from/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [“we live in a utilitarian age. Honour is a mediaeval conception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/we-live-in-a-utilitarian-age-honour-is-a-mediaeval-conception/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [Somebody who eats twice as much factory-farmed products as he or she needs to is clearly doing twice as much damage to the planet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/somebody-who-eats-twice-as-much-factory-farmed-products-as-he-or-she/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [The utilitarian behaves sensibly in all that is required for preservation but never takes account of the fact that he must die...His whole life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/the-utilitarian-behaves-sensibly-in-all-that-is-required-for/)

[Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/)

> [Now that practical skills have developed enough to provide adequately for material needs, one of these sciences which are not devoted to utilitarian ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/now-that-practical-skills-have-developed-enough-to-provide-adequately/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [“In the temple of science are many mansions, and various indeed are they that dwell therein and the motives that have led them thither.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/in-the-temple-of-science-are-many-mansions-and-various-indeed-are/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I think that in a lot of readers' minds the essay is a lot more utilitarian than it is art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-think-that-in-a-lot-of-readers-minds-the-essay-is-a-lot-more/)

[John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/)

> [Modern anthropology ... opposes the utilitarian assumption that the primitive chants as he sows seed because he believes that otherwise it will not grow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carroll/modern-anthropology-opposes-the-utilitarian-assumption-that-the/)

[John Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carroll/)

> [For the utilitarian, there is a fact of the matter about the good (the general happiness, or whatever conception of the good the utilitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/for-the-utilitarian-there-is-a-fact-of-the-matter-about-the-good-the/)

[Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/)

## More by John Stuart Mill

> [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Liberty lies in the rights of that person whose views you find most odious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/liberty-lies-in-the-rights-of-that-person-whose-views-you-find-most/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Truth emerges from the clash of adverse ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/truth-emerges-from-the-clash-of-adverse-ideas/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [“No longer enslaved or made dependent by force of law, the great majority are so by force of poverty; they are still chained to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/no-longer-enslaved-or-made-dependent-by-force-of-law-the-great/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [All acts suppose certain dispositions, and habits of mind and heart, which may be in themselves states of enjoyment or of wretchedness, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-acts-suppose-certain-dispositions-and-habits-of-mind-and-heart/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Unfortunately for the good sense of mankind, the fact of their fallibility is far from carrying the weight in their practical judgement, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/unfortunately-for-the-good-sense-of-mankind-the-fact-of-their/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [“In history, as in traveling, men usually see only what they already had in their own minds; and few learn much from history, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/in-history-as-in-traveling-men-usually-see-only-what-they-already-had/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [All errors which a man is likely to commit against advice are far outweighed by the evil of allowing others to constrain him for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-errors-which-a-man-is-likely-to-commit-against-advice-are-far/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/every-great-movement-must-experience-three-stages-ridicule-discussion/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [The successful conduct of an industrial enterprise requires two quite distinct qualifications: fidelity and zeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-successful-conduct-of-an-industrial-enterprise-requires-two-quite/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [ “\[For people\] to refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/for-people-to-refuse-a-hearing-to-an-opinion-because-they-are-sure/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [This is what writers mean when they say that the notion of cause involves the idea of necessity. If there be any meaning which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/this-is-what-writers-mean-when-they-say-that-the-notion-of-cause/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [“Protection, therefore, against tyranny of the magistrate is not enough: there needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling; against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/protection-therefore-against-tyranny-of-the-magistrate-is-not-enough/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Landlords grow rich in their sleep without working, risking or economizing. The increase in the value of land, arising as it does from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/landlords-grow-rich-in-their-sleep-without-working-risking-or/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [There is one characteristic of the present direction of public opinion, peculiarly calculated to make it intolerant of any marked demonstration of individuality. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/there-is-one-characteristic-of-the-present-direction-of-public/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

[Explore all 524 John Stuart Mill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

## 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": "To do as one would be done by, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Stuart Mill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-love-one-s-neighbour-as-oneself/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-love-one-s-neighbour-as-oneself/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/john-stuart-mill-477_character_to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-lov_2183061.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/john-stuart-mill-477_character_to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-lov_2183061.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d5/john-stuart-mill-477_character_to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-lov_2183061.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To do as one would be done by, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, constitute the ideal perfection of…” — John Stuart Mill",
                "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 Stuart Mill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To do as one would be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-love-one-s-neighbour-as-oneself/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/to-do-as-one-would-be-done-by-and-to-love-one-s-neighbour-as-oneself/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
