---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We may gamble on outsmarting the law; we…"
description: "\"We may gamble on outsmarting the law; we may even gamble on the leniency of man and the mercy of God-but no man ever won a gamble with his own conscien..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sidney-greenberg-51567_beaten_we-may-gamble-on-outsmarting-the-law-we_1554204.jpg"
---

#  We may gamble on outsmarting the law; we may even gamble…

![“We may gamble on outsmarting the law; we may even gamble on the leniency of man and the mercy of God-but no man ever won a gamble with his own conscience. Even should he think he has beaten his conscience into submission, his misdeeds still leave their mark upon him. Anyone who gambles against…” quote by Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sidney-greenberg-51567_beaten_we-may-gamble-on-outsmarting-the-law-we_1554204.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sidney-greenberg-51567_beaten_we-may-gamble-on-outsmarting-the-law-we_1554204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sidney-greenberg-51567_beaten_we-may-gamble-on-outsmarting-the-law-we_1554204.jpg)

> “We may gamble on outsmarting the law; we may even gamble on the leniency of man and the mercy of God-but no man ever won a gamble with his own conscience. Even should he think he has beaten his conscience into submission, his misdeeds still leave their mark upon him. Anyone who gambles against this fact has already lost his gamble.”

[Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

It warns that trying to outwit moral law or divine mercy fails; conscience always records misdeeds.

**In simple terms:** Conscience cannot be cheated.

Key Takeaway

Live honestly; conscience will hold you accountable.

Themes

conscience morality law divine mercy guilt

Mood

serious reflective

Type

ethical spiritual

When to use this quote

- legal decisions
- personal ethics
- spiritual practice
- leadership

Key Concepts

ethics theology psychology justice

Questions to Reflect On

- Can one truly escape conscience?
- How does belief in divine mercy affect behavior?

A Different Perspective

The quote assumes a universal moral framework; cultural differences exist.

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[Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Gambles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gambles/) [Gambling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gambling/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Leniency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leniency/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Mercy of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy-of-god/) [Misdeeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misdeeds/) [Submission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/submission/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [You're either a person with a conscience, or you're not. I think I've got quite a fine conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/you-re-either-a-person-with-a-conscience-or-you-re-not-i-think-i-ve/)

[Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/)

> [I dress up with a conscience when I think you'll be watching. I say all the right things, I don't know what I mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/i-dress-up-with-a-conscience-when-i-think-you-ll-be-watching-i-say/)

[Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/)

> [“Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/must-the-citizen-ever-for-a-moment-or-in-the-least-degree-resign-his-2/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I have too much of a guilty conscience to even think about cheating or doing something sneaky that my significant other wouldn't like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-too-much-of-a-guilty-conscience-to-even-think-about-cheating/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/must-the-citizen-ever-for-a-moment-or-in-the-least-degree-resign-his/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resigns his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/must-the-citizen-ever-for-a-moment-or-in-the-least-degree-resigns-his/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [I think that the only ultimate guide we have is our conscience, and if the law of the land goes against our conscience I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/i-think-that-the-only-ultimate-guide-we-have-is-our-conscience-and-if/)

[Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/)

> [“All things carefully considered, I believe they come down to this: what scares me is the Church as a social thing. Not solely because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/all-things-carefully-considered-i-believe-they-come-down-to-this-what/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [“Life’s a sequence of gambles. You’re going to win some. You’re going to lose some. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play the game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/life-s-a-sequence-of-gambles-you-re-going-to-win-some-you-re-going-to/)

[Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/)

> [If you're going to take gambles, you must have one thing: self-confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/if-you-re-going-to-take-gambles-you-must-have-one-thing-self/)

[Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/)

> [I swore I was going to exclusively collect assets and not liabilities for the rest of my life. I swore never to take gambles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blixseth/i-swore-i-was-going-to-exclusively-collect-assets-and-not-liabilities/)

Tim Blixseth

> [“Wishing made it a sure thing though." "But who wants a sure thing? Life is about gambles,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-sedoti/wishing-made-it-a-sure-thing-though-but-who-wants-a-sure-thing-life/)

[Chelsea Sedoti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-sedoti/)

> [The worst thing that can happen to a man who gambles is to win](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-to-a-man-who-gambles-is-to-win/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is always a vulgar and often an unhealthy pastime, and it is a vice which does not go alone; the man who gambles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/it-is-always-a-vulgar-and-often-an-unhealthy-pastime-and-it-is-a-vice/)

[Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/)

> [Gambles are the most fun because it's part of being an actor or being a creative person. It's risky only in the vulnerable sense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/gambles-are-the-most-fun-because-it-s-part-of-being-an-actor-or-being/)

[Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/)

## More by Sidney Greenberg

> [Life is a journey, not a destination. Happiness is not "there" but here, not "tomorrow" but today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/life-is-a-journey-not-a-destination-happiness-is-not-there-but-here/)

[Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

> [Religion should not only comfort us when we are disturbed; it should also disturb us when we are comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/religion-should-not-only-comfort-us-when-we-are-disturbed-it-should/)

[Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

> [War determines not who is right but who is left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/war-determines-not-who-is-right-but-who-is-left/)

[Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

> [For all the unkind things said about envy, it would only be fair to acknowledge that not all envy is destructive. If envy leads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/for-all-the-unkind-things-said-about-envy-it-would-only-be-fair-to/)

[Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

> [Among the humble and great alike, those who achieve success do so not because fate and circumstance are especially kind to them. Often the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/among-the-humble-and-great-alike-those-who-achieve-success-do-so-not/)

[Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

> [Character is distilled out of our daily confrontation with temptation, out of our regular response to the call of duty. It is formed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-greenberg/character-is-distilled-out-of-our-daily-confrontation-with-temptation/)

[Sidney Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

[Explore all 7 Sidney Greenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-greenberg/)

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> [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/)

[Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/)

> [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/)

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> [It's always a wake-up call to get beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/it-s-always-a-wake-up-call-to-get-beaten/)

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> [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/)

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> [Could beauty be beaten out, O youth the cities have sent to strike at each other's strength, it is you who have kept her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/could-beauty-be-beaten-out-o-youth-the-cities-have-sent-to-strike-at/)

[Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/)

> [The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfeld deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-midget-bush-and-that-rumsfeld-deserve-only-to-be-beaten-with/)

[Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/)

> [Like with every form of cancer, early detection is what it is all about. I urge everyone to learn the facts about this condition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/like-with-every-form-of-cancer-early-detection-is-what-it-is-all/)

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[Min-sik Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-sik-choi/)

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Browse all 665 Beaten quotes

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