--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a sinful world, no community can exist…" description: "\"In a sinful world, no community can exist for long where nobody is ever held accountable: no teacher would grade a student's performance; no citizen wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/lewis-b-smedes-4850_account_in-a-sinful-world-no-community-can-exist_3067164.png" --- # In a sinful world, no community can exist for long where… ![“In a sinful world, no community can exist for long where nobody is ever held accountable: no teacher would grade a student's performance; no citizen would sit on a jury or call a failed leader to account.” quote by Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/lewis-b-smedes-4850_account_in-a-sinful-world-no-community-can-exist_3067164.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/lewis-b-smedes-4850_account_in-a-sinful-world-no-community-can-exist_3067164.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f7/lewis-b-smedes-4850_account_in-a-sinful-world-no-community-can-exist_3067164.png) > “In a sinful world, no community can exist for long where nobody is ever held accountable: no teacher would grade a student's performance; no citizen would sit on a jury or call a failed leader to account.” [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Accountability is essential; without it, societies cannot sustain moral order **In simple terms:** No accountability leads to moral decay Key Takeaway Ensure mechanisms for responsibility in institutions Themes ethics community accountability Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - judicial system - jury duty - teacher evaluation - leadership review Key Concepts justice responsibility social contract Questions to Reflect On - What checks balance accountability? - How to prevent abuse of power? A Different Perspective Accountability alone may not guarantee moral outcomes ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance/) [Student](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/student/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [A world community can only exist with world communication, which means something more than extensive software facilities scattered about he globe. It means common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hutchins-2/a-world-community-can-only-exist-with-world-communication-which-means/) Robert M Hutchins > [“Don't pity this sinful world! Just pity those who made it so!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/don-t-pity-this-sinful-world-just-pity-those-who-made-it-so/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [We are as near to heaven as we are far from self, and far from the love of a sinful world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/we-are-as-near-to-heaven-as-we-are-far-from-self-and-far-from-the/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [“In this sinful world, there is no such thing as enjoying life; not in a world where everybody is happily having a bubble bath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-wantang/in-this-sinful-world-there-is-no-such-thing-as-enjoying-life-not-in-a/) [Felix Wantang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-wantang/) > [The pleasure of this sinful world Are meaningless and vain;but if we love and follow God True purpose we will gain..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-pleasure-of-this-sinful-world-are-meaningless-and-vain-but-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe Theresa May has failed as leader of our party, which she threatens to destroy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-francois/i-believe-theresa-may-has-failed-as-leader-of-our-party-which-she/) [Mark Francois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-francois/) > [“If you reach a point where you have to kill the people opposing you, just know you've failed as a leader. True leadership inspires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-anekeya/if-you-reach-a-point-where-you-have-to-kill-the-people-opposing-you/) [Carson Anekeya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-anekeya/) > [“If you set out alone and sovereign, unconnected to a family, a religion, a nationality, a tradition, a class, then pretty soon you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/if-you-set-out-alone-and-sovereign-unconnected-to-a-family-a-religion/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [You cannot form a community of countries of different strength without a certain amount of equilibrium. That is reflected in, for example, the EU…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/you-cannot-form-a-community-of-countries-of-different-strength/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) > [“I do not believe that any form of lasting community can exist where people do not share the same sense of what is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coetzee/i-do-not-believe-that-any-form-of-lasting-community-can-exist-where/) Coetzee > [Though a man may be found in a weak state, that does not at all mean that he has been abandoned by God. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-shanghai-and-san-francisco/though-a-man-may-be-found-in-a-weak-state-that-does-not-at-all-mean/) [John of Shanghai and San Francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-shanghai-and-san-francisco/) > [Ireland still remains the Holy Isle whose aspirations must on no account be mixed with the profane class-struggles of the rest of the sinful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/ireland-still-remains-the-holy-isle-whose-aspirations-must-on-no/) [Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/) > [“winning one soul for JESUS CHRIST worth more than being famous in pleasing a sinful world”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-uwandu/winning-one-soul-for-jesus-christ-worth-more-than-being-famous-in/) [James C. Uwandu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-uwandu/) > [ The just response to this terrible event \[9/11\] should be to go immediately to the world community, the United Nations. The rule of international… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/the-just-response-to-this-terrible-event-9-11-should-be-to-go/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [I've always believed that it's important to give something back to the world and community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrot-top/i-ve-always-believed-that-it-s-important-to-give-something-back-to/) [Carrot Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrot-top/) ## More by Lewis B. Smedes > [Nothing is more private than a woman's body; it is her physical, emotional, and moral citadel. She cannot be free at all if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nothing-is-more-private-than-a-woman-s-body-it-is-her-physical/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [...Forgiving is not having to understand. Understanding may come later, in fragments, an insight here and a glimpse there, after forgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/forgiving-is-not-having-to-understand-understanding-may-come-later-in/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [The God who has the whole world in his hands has grace for the whole world in his heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/the-god-who-has-the-whole-world-in-his-hands-has-grace-for-the-whole/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Nobody sees reality whole; we all need others to show us the parts of it that they see better than we do. Nobody sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nobody-sees-reality-whole-we-all-need-others-to-show-us-the-parts-of/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [I have discovered that most people who tell me that they cannot forgive a person who wronged them are handicapped by a mistaken understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/i-have-discovered-that-most-people-who-tell-me-that-they-cannot/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Spoken forgiveness, no matter how heartfelt, works best when we do not demand the response we want. I mean that when we tell people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/spoken-forgiveness-no-matter-how-heartfelt-works-best-when-we-do-not/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/forgiving-does-not-erase-the-bitter-past-a-healed-memory-is-not-a/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [We feel properly embarrassed when we are caught doing something that makes us look inept, knuckleheaded, or inappropriate. Maybe the difference is this: we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/we-feel-properly-embarrassed-when-we-are-caught-doing-something-that/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/forgiving-does-not-erase-the-bitter-past-a-healed-memory-is-not-a-2/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [When I feel the joy of receiving a gift my heart nudges me to join creation's ballet, the airy dance of giving and receiving,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/when-i-feel-the-joy-of-receiving-a-gift-my-heart-nudges-me-to-join/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Our sense of fairness tells us that people should pay for the wrong they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/our-sense-of-fairness-tells-us-that-people-should-pay-for-the-wrong/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [Gratitude is the best feeling I would ever have, the ultimate joy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/gratitude-is-the-best-feeling-i-would-ever-have-the-ultimate-joy-of/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [My father was only thirty-one when he died of a heart attack, much too young for a father to die and leave his young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/my-father-was-only-thirty-one-when-he-died-of-a-heart-attack-much-too/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [The only way to heal the pain which will not heal itself is to forgive the person who hurt you. Forgiveness heals the memory's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/the-only-way-to-heal-the-pain-which-will-not-heal-itself-is-to/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [If you cannot free people from their wrongs and see them as the needy people they are, you enslave yourself to your own painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/if-you-cannot-free-people-from-their-wrongs-and-see-them-as-the-needy/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) [Explore all 106 Lewis B. Smedes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) ## More Account quotes > [I have a Twitter account; I have a fantastic Facebook page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/i-have-a-twitter-account-i-have-a-fantastic-facebook-page/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [I saw a report on the news: 'Peter Dinklage tweeted... ' What? You know, I don't need any of that stuff. I got an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-saw-a-report-on-the-news-peter-dinklage-tweeted-what-you-know-i-don/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [I might have added zeros to my bank balance and followers to my Instagram account, but apart from that, I still lead a middle-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-massey/i-might-have-added-zeros-to-my-bank-balance-and-followers-to-my/) [Vikrant Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-massey/) > [Every job is a blessing. Everyone has to take into account what is available. Are you paying rent, who do you get to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-foster/every-job-is-a-blessing-everyone-has-to-take-into-account-what-is/) [Ben Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-foster/) > [“this is not me it is a fake account”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-schaber/this-is-not-me-it-is-a-fake-account/) Craig Schaber > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I actually love Twitter and Instagram. I do think it's so strange to think that 20 years ago, people would never have known personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/i-actually-love-twitter-and-instagram-i-do-think-it-s-so-strange-to/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [I'm very excited about my new Spotify account, which gives me access to twenty gazillion songs any time, all the time. The day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-very-excited-about-my-new-spotify-account-which-gives-me-access/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Love is the strange bewilderment that overtakes one person on account of another person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/love-is-the-strange-bewilderment-that-overtakes-one-person-on-account/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [It is also right that we continue to consult with front line workers and the public to ensure that targets are reasonable and achievable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hutton/it-is-also-right-that-we-continue-to-consult-with-front-line-workers/) [John Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hutton/) > [Life and families and babies are all joyous gifts. But if we do not begin to truly account for our numbers, we will surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-alexander/life-and-families-and-babies-are-all-joyous-gifts-but-if-we-do-not/) [Jason Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-alexander/) > [BBM for Andriod is the new Google+ account. Everyone wanted it. Everyone got it. And no one has any idea what to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tufail-mehraj/bbm-for-andriod-is-the-new-google-account-everyone-wanted-it-everyone/) [Tufail Mehraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tufail-mehraj/) > [At the outset of the creation of the euro in 1999, it was expected that the southern eurozone economies would behave like those in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/at-the-outset-of-the-creation-of-the-euro-in-1999-it-was-expected/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [There's no crying in Twitter, that's why you have a Facebook account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-no-crying-in-twitter-that-s-why-you-have-a-facebook-account/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There was a lot of playing by myself, wearing last year's Halloween costume and wandering around the yard talking to myself - which may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-mays/there-was-a-lot-of-playing-by-myself-wearing-last-year-s-halloween/) [Jefferson Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-mays/) Browse all 336 Account quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In a sinful world, no community can exist for long where nobody is ever held accountable: no teacher would grade a student's performance; no citizen would sit on a jury or call a failed leader to account.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lewis B. 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