Ethics Quote by Michael Josephson
“Ethics is not about the way things are, it is about the way things ought to be.”
About This Quote
Source Book: “The Ethics of Life” (1995)
Ethics concerns how things should be, not merely how they are; it prescribes ideal standards.
In simple terms: Ethics is about how things ought to be.
Align actions with ideal standards.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- policy making
- personal conduct
- organizational culture
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reconcile ideal ethics with real‑world constraints?
- What guides your sense of what ought to be?
Ideal standards can be unrealistic.