--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To set up as a standard of public…" description: "\"To set up as a standard of public morality a notion which can neither be defined nor conceived is to open the door to every kind of tyranny.\" — Simone ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/918/simone-weil-544_character_to-set-up-as-a-standard-of-public-morali_137990.jpg" --- # To set up as a standard of public morality a notion which… ![“To set up as a standard of public morality a notion which can neither be defined nor conceived is to open the door to every kind of tyranny.” quote by Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/918/simone-weil-544_character_to-set-up-as-a-standard-of-public-morali_137990.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/918/simone-weil-544_character_to-set-up-as-a-standard-of-public-morali_137990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/918/simone-weil-544_character_to-set-up-as-a-standard-of-public-morali_137990.jpg) > “To set up as a standard of public morality a notion which can neither be defined nor conceived is to open the door to every kind of tyranny.” [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Establishing a public morality that cannot be defined or imagined leads to tyranny. **In simple terms:** Undefined moral standards open the door to oppression. Key Takeaway Define clear ethical standards to prevent abuse of power. Themes ethics politics authority Mood critical concerned Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - community guidelines - activism Key Concepts philosophy social theory law Questions to Reflect On - What criteria should guide public morality? - How can societies avoid imposing vague standards? A Different Perspective Defining morality can be contentious. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) ## Related quotes > [A book is somehow sacred. 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For every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/if-the-american-public-is-so-into-morality-in-movies-why-don-t-they/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [“In the moral realm, there is very little consensus left in Western countries over the proper basis of moral behavior. And because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson-2/in-the-moral-realm-there-is-very-little-consensus-left-in-western/) [D.A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson-2/) > [The Internet has played a major role in undermining public morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/the-internet-has-played-a-major-role-in-undermining-public-morality/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [I believe that a long step toward public morality will have been taken when sins are called by their right names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sunday/i-believe-that-a-long-step-toward-public-morality-will-have-been/) [Billy Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sunday/) > [The values derived from religious belief will not - and should not - be accepted as part of the public morality unless they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/the-values-derived-from-religious-belief-will-not-and-should-not-be/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) > [... the structure of our public morality crashed to earth. 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Recall that both George Washington and Fisher Ames had warned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/another-aspect-of-behavior-directly-impacted-by-the-removal-of/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [At the heart of our public morality is the idea that he who gives generously is most virtuous and morally praiseworthy; that there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/at-the-heart-of-our-public-morality-is-the-idea-that-he-who-gives/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) ## More by Simone Weil > [Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/oppression-that-is-clearly-inexorable-and-invincible-does-not-give/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [One should identify oneself with the universe itself. Everything that is less than the universe is subjected to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/one-should-identify-oneself-with-the-universe-itself-everything-that/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/what-a-country-calls-its-vital-economic-interests-are-not-the-things/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The intelligent man who is proud of his intelligence is like the condemned man who is proud of his large cell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-intelligent-man-who-is-proud-of-his-intelligence-is-like-the/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The highest ecstasy is the attention at its fullest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-highest-ecstasy-is-the-attention-at-its-fullest/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [To be innocent is to bear the weight of the entire universe. 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But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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