Counseling Quote by Min Jin Lee
““It wasn't uncommon to hear rationalizations of this sort--the longing to transform bad deeds into good ones. No one ever wanted to hear that God didn't work that way; the Lord would never want a young woman to trade her body to follow a commandment. Sins couldn't be laundered by good results.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, 2017
Moral rationalization attempts to cleanse wrongdoing, but true ethics cannot be bought by good outcomes.
In simple terms: Bad deeds can't be erased by good results.
Key Takeaway
Seek genuine accountability.
Themes
ethics
guilt
redemption
Mood
reflective
serious
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- legal justice
- personal forgiveness
- social activism
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
theology
cognitive dissonance
Questions to Reflect On
- Can good deeds truly offset harm?
- How do societies judge redemption?
A Different Perspective
Some may truly believe they’re justified; cultural contexts complicate morality.
![“[...] I talk to the dead although I don't believe in ghosts. But it makes me feel good to speak with them. Maybe that is what God is. A good God wouldn't have let my babies die. I can't believe in that. My babies did nothing wrong." "I agree. They did nothing wrong." He looked at her thoughtfully…” quote by Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d9d/min-jin-lee-7625_after-life_i-talk-to-the-dead-although-i-don-t-beli_77396.jpg)
![“The overall goal [of counseling] is to help family members become 'systems experts' who could know [their] family system so well that the family could readjust itself without the help of an expert.” quote by Murray Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/608/murray-bowen-68499_counseling_the-overall-goal-of-counseling-is-to-hel_173705.jpg)
![“That's part of what I touch on in my [UN] speech - when assaults happen on women and girls in these fragile countries, in these places of crisis, there isn't the psychosocial support. There aren't counseling services. It's not in a lot of cultures to explicitly talk about things that maybe have…” quote by Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d44/natalie-dormer-2190_assault_that-s-part-of-what-i-touch-on-in-my-un_200448.jpg)
