--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One might rationally argue that…" description: "\"One might rationally argue that individual human beings should be free choose what moral behavior they approve of, and which they don't, subject to the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_approve_one-might-rationally-argue-that-individu_2695121.png" --- # One might rationally argue that individual human beings… ![“One might rationally argue that individual human beings should be free choose what moral behavior they approve of, and which they don't, subject to the constraints of the law.” quote by Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_approve_one-might-rationally-argue-that-individu_2695121.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_approve_one-might-rationally-argue-that-individu_2695121.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af5/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_approve_one-might-rationally-argue-that-individu_2695121.png) > “One might rationally argue that individual human beings should be free choose what moral behavior they approve of, and which they don't, subject to the constraints of the law.” [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Individuals should have moral autonomy, but their choices must stay within legal limits to balance freedom with societal order. **In simple terms:** Freedom to choose morals, but obey the law. Key Takeaway Balance personal morality with legal constraints. Themes freedom law ethics Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - personal decision making - civil disobedience - community governance Key Concepts Autonomy Social contract Responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Should laws adapt to changing moral perspectives? - When does personal liberty conflict with public safety? A Different Perspective Legal systems may lag behind evolving moral views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-behavior/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) ## Related quotes > [“You can’t rationally argue out what wasn’t rationally argued in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-can-t-rationally-argue-out-what-wasn-t-rationally-argued-in/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [It’s not a requirement to eat animals, we just choose to do it, so it becomes a moral choice and one that is having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/it-s-not-a-requirement-to-eat-animals-we-just-choose-to-do-it-so-it/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [“God intends each individual to choose his own moral destiny rather than be constrained by the legacy of his parents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sparknotes/god-intends-each-individual-to-choose-his-own-moral-destiny-rather/) SparkNotes > [If you had to pick between being moral and successful, obviously I'd choose to be moral. However if you can choose both, will you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chade-meng-tan/if-you-had-to-pick-between-being-moral-and-successful-obviously-i-d/) [Chade-Meng Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chade-meng-tan/) > [I think we certainly benefit from social institutions which encourage us towards moral behavior. It's very important to have law. It's very important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-think-we-certainly-benefit-from-social-institutions-which-encourage/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“and self-responsibility can only occur where the child is surrounded with moral behavior and allowed to grow her own understanding of the ideals of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-bryson/and-self-responsibility-can-only-occur-where-the-child-is-surrounded/) [Kelly Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-bryson/) > [Morals — all correct moral laws — derive from the instinct to survive. Moral behavior is survival behavior above the individual level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/morals-all-correct-moral-laws-derive-from-the-instinct-to-survive/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Of all the major religions, or lack thereof, the atheist's is one of the best pretenders: his foundation for all existences, as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/of-all-the-major-religions-or-lack-thereof-the-atheist-s-is-one-of/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [“Obviously there must be a relationship between our ethical theories and our moral behavior. In a real sense, our beliefs dictate our behavior. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/obviously-there-must-be-a-relationship-between-our-ethical-theories/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [Obviously, marriage is not a synonym for morality. But stable marriages and families do encourage moral behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/obviously-marriage-is-not-a-synonym-for-morality-but-stable-marriages/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [I think there's a real tension between capitalism and morality. That's not to say these systems aren't powerful and useful, but to assume that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/i-think-there-s-a-real-tension-between-capitalism-and-morality-that-s/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/man-would-indeeded-be-in-a-poor-way-if-he-had-to-be-restrained-by/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Self-centeredness is the basis for all sorts of immoral behavior as well as all the sorrows of humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/self-centeredness-is-the-basis-for-all-sorts-of-immoral-behavior-as/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“One day I realized the perfect coincidence between the books I was trying to finish on gnosticism and moral behavior, and the attempts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/one-day-i-realized-the-perfect-coincidence-between-the-books-i-was/) [Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/) > [The quality of moral behavior varies in inverse ratio to the number of human beings involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-quality-of-moral-behavior-varies-in-inverse-ratio-to-the-number/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) ## More by Lawrence M. Krauss > [If our species is to survive, our future will probably require outposts beyond our own planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-our-species-is-to-survive-our-future-will-probably-require/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Our modern conception of the universe is so foreign to what even scientists generally believed a mere century ago that it is a tribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/our-modern-conception-of-the-universe-is-so-foreign-to-what-even/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [The Internet is a clear example of how our lives have changed in ways we couldn't have imagined: a distributed information source, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/the-internet-is-a-clear-example-of-how-our-lives-have-changed-in-ways/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“He always found a simple, easy way to reach the correct answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/he-always-found-a-simple-easy-way-to-reach-the-correct-answer/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Now, almost one hundred years later, it is difficult to fully appreciate how much our picture of the universe has changed in the span…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/now-almost-one-hundred-years-later-it-is-difficult-to-fully/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“the universe is big and old and, as a result, rare events happen all the time. Go out some night into the woods or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/the-universe-is-big-and-old-and-as-a-result-rare-events-happen-all/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Science is not just there for technology. It's part of what addressing who you are in the universe and understanding your place in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/science-is-not-just-there-for-technology-it-s-part-of-what-addressing/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Teaching and writing, to me, is really just seduction; you go to where people are and you find something that they're interested in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/teaching-and-writing-to-me-is-really-just-seduction-you-go-to-where/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [There are areas of philosophy that are important, but I think of them as being subsumed by other fields. In the case of descriptive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/there-are-areas-of-philosophy-that-are-important-but-i-think-of-them/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [If innovations were predictable, they wouldn't be discoveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-innovations-were-predictable-they-wouldn-t-be-discoveries/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. and, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/every-atom-in-your-body-came-from-a-star-that-exploded-and-the-atoms/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“(For those who like to quote Aristotle’s wisdom when appealing to his “Prime Mover” argument for the existence of God, let us remember that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/for-those-who-like-to-quote-aristotle-s-wisdom-when-appealing-to-his/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [A snowflake is another beautifully ordered example of what simple, natural meteorological processes can produce. Stars form by gravity, collapsing into spherically ordered structures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/a-snowflake-is-another-beautifully-ordered-example-of-what-simple/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“One of the most poetic facts I know about the universe is that essentially every atom in your body was once inside a star…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/one-of-the-most-poetic-facts-i-know-about-the-universe-is-that/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Science is only truly consistent with an atheistic worldview with regards to the claimed miracles of the gods of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/science-is-only-truly-consistent-with-an-atheistic-worldview-with/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) [Explore all 161 Lawrence M. Krauss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) ## More Approve quotes > [I've always wanted to be sure my parents approve of what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-sure-my-parents-approve-of-what-i-do/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [The U.N. guards the vital principles entrenched in its charter, notably the sovereign equality of states and the inadmissibility of interference in their internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/the-u-n-guards-the-vital-principles-entrenched-in-its-charter-notably/) [Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/) > [I don't approve of sunbathing, and it's bad for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-don-t-approve-of-sunbathing-and-it-s-bad-for-you/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [The best investments are the easiest ones to approve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/the-best-investments-are-the-easiest-ones-to-approve/) [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [I have never wished to cater to the crowd; for what I know they do not approve, and what they approve I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/i-have-never-wished-to-cater-to-the-crowd-for-what-i-know-they-do-not/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [Nothing should lessen our satisfaction with ourselves as much as when we notice that we disapprove of something at one time that we approve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/nothing-should-lessen-our-satisfaction-with-ourselves-as-much-as-when/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [As I love and approve of myself and others, my life gets better and better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/as-i-love-and-approve-of-myself-and-others-my-life-gets-better-and/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [“Bezos wanted to personally approve each equation and track the results over time. It would be his way of guiding a team’s evolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/bezos-wanted-to-personally-approve-each-equation-and-track-the/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [I don't say any word that I don't approve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/i-don-t-say-any-word-that-i-don-t-approve/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [“The world is cruel enough without our compounding it; I approve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/the-world-is-cruel-enough-without-our-compounding-it-i-approve/) [Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/) > [Beauty relies on you, don't wait for someone else to approve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiny-holmes/beauty-relies-on-you-don-t-wait-for-someone-else-to-approve/) Destiny Holmes > [I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/i-don-t-entirely-approve-of-some-of-the-things-i-have-done-or-am-or/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [“This has nothing to do with what anyone else in all the world would approve or forbid. This is all their own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-what-anyone-else-in-all-the-world-would/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [I don't really do things to make other people approve or disapprove of my decisions. I'm too grown for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larsa-pippen/i-don-t-really-do-things-to-make-other-people-approve-or-disapprove/) [Larsa Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larsa-pippen/) > [“When we approve of ourselves we do not need any further stamps from others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nithya-shanti/when-we-approve-of-ourselves-we-do-not-need-any-further-stamps-from/) Nithya Shanti Browse all 67 Approve quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One might rationally argue that individual human beings should be free choose what moral behavior they approve of, and which they don't, subject to the constraints of the law.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence M. 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