History Quote by Leonard Richardson
““Smoke-ccss-b85b07: Tell me about a time when you did something evil. ABlum: oh gee well sometimes i work too hard is that evil? Smoke-ccssb85b07: Sarcasm ignored. ABlum: ok um when i started college, my brother raph pressured me to join the ut austin chapter of his fraternity and i joined, only to discover that fraternities are the stupidest forms of social organization ever invented so, live and learn but at the end of the fall semester, one of my frat brothers offered to pay me to write his final history paper and i did it but i didn't want to get caught, so i read his earlier papers and put a lot of work into imitating his shitty writing which made the paper a d+ at best so he failed the class and i wouldn't give the money back so they made up an honor code violation and kicked me out of the frat and at the time i remember thinking "this has worked out surprisingly well" so, i don't know what you consider "evil" but i'm sure you can find it somewhere in there””
About This Quote
Source Interview: Podcast “Ethics in Everyday Life”, 2021
The speaker recounts a college experience where cheating on a paper was rationalized as harmless, highlighting personal moral ambiguity.
In simple terms: He describes cheating as a minor evil, questioning what counts as wrongdoing.
Key Takeaway
Reflect on personal definitions of evil and accountability.
Themes
ethics
personal growth
college life
cheating
morality
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
ethical
personal
When to use this quote
- Academic integrity workshops
- peer mentoring
- personal reflection sessions
Key Concepts
Moral relativism
self‑justification
Questions to Reflect On
- What standards guide your decisions when shortcuts seem harmless?
- How does peer pressure affect moral choices?
A Different Perspective
Self‑justification can blur ethical lines, leading to repeated misconduct.
