--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is better to do your own duty badly…" description: "\"It is better to do your own duty badly than to perfectly do an others; when you do your duty, you are naturally free from sin.\" — Stephen Mitchell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/stephen-mitchell-16811_duty_it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-t_1462836.png" --- # It is better to do your own duty badly than to perfectly… ![“It is better to do your own duty badly than to perfectly do an others; when you do your duty, you are naturally free from sin.” quote by Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/stephen-mitchell-16811_duty_it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-t_1462836.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/stephen-mitchell-16811_duty_it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-t_1462836.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/stephen-mitchell-16811_duty_it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-t_1462836.png) > “It is better to do your own duty badly than to perfectly do an others; when you do your duty, you are naturally free from sin.” [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fulfilling one's own responsibilities, even imperfectly, is better than flawlessly executing another's, which can bind one to moral compromise. **In simple terms:** Do your own duty, even if imperfect. Key Takeaway Focus on personal responsibility. Themes duty ethics self-reliance integrity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - workplace tasks - family roles - community service - personal decisions Key Concepts karma moral philosophy personal agency Questions to Reflect On - What personal duties are you neglecting? - How does imperfect effort compare to perfect imitation? A Different Perspective Perfectly copying others may lead to hidden obligations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) ## Related quotes > [Force that the performance of duty naturally generates is the non-violent and invincible force that satyagraha brings into being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/force-that-the-performance-of-duty-naturally-generates-is-the-non/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Better one’s own duty, bereft of merit, than another’s well-performed; better is death in the discharge of one’s duty; another’s duty is fraught with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/better-one-s-own-duty-bereft-of-merit-than-another-s-well-performed/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्। स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः॥ ॥३- ३५॥ 'Better one’s own duty, be it humble, Than that of another – else you’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munindra-misra/better-one-s-own-duty-be-it-humble-than-that-of-another-else-you-ll/) [Munindra Misra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munindra-misra/) > [It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-better-to-do-one-s-own-duty-however-defective-it-may-be-than-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-struggle-for-human-rights-for-freedom-for-dignity-when-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I groan daily under a body of sin and corruption. Oh for the time when I shall drop this flesh, and be free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-groan-daily-under-a-body-of-sin-and-corruption-oh-for-the-time-when/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“We are not slaves but children of our Father, free to do good, free to sin. So when in anguish over any human violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/we-are-not-slaves-but-children-of-our-father-free-to-do-good-free-to/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [The ultimate self is free from sin, free from old age, free from death and grief, free from hunger and thirst, which desires nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarvepalli-radhakrishnan/the-ultimate-self-is-free-from-sin-free-from-old-age-free-from-death/) [Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarvepalli-radhakrishnan/) > [In short, a man must be set free from the sin he is , which makes him do the sin he does .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/in-short-a-man-must-be-set-free-from-the-sin-he-is-which-makes-him-do/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [“The monks kept a sharp eye on him, determined to keep him free of sin—and of joy, which, if not explicitly a sin, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/the-monks-kept-a-sharp-eye-on-him-determined-to-keep-him-free-of-sin/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“Oh, no, Cameron; I believe we're born free of sin and free of guilt. It's just that we all catch it, eventually. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/oh-no-cameron-i-believe-we-re-born-free-of-sin-and-free-of-guilt-it-s/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [“anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-who-has-died-has-been-set-free-from-sin/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You will know you are finally free from sin when you have full access to it and yet no desire for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heath-lambert/you-will-know-you-are-finally-free-from-sin-when-you-have-full-access/) [Heath Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heath-lambert/) > [Now for my own case, I bless the Lord that, for all that hath been said of me, my conscience doth not condemn me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-cargill/now-for-my-own-case-i-bless-the-lord-that-for-all-that-hath-been-said/) [Donald Cargill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-cargill/) > [Materialism sets us free from sin-by proving that there is no such thing as sin. There's just antisocial behavior, which we can control with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-e-johnson/materialism-sets-us-free-from-sin-by-proving-that-there-is-no-such/) [Phillip E. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-e-johnson/) ## More by Stephen Mitchell > [ \[Jesus\] teaches that just as the sun gives light to both wicked and good, and the rain brings nourishment to righteous and unrighteous, God's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/jesus-teaches-that-just-as-the-sun-gives-light-to-both-wicked-and/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/true-mastery-can-be-gained-by-letting-things-go-their-own-way/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [Education is no longer thought of as a preparation for adult life, but as a continuing process of growth and development from birth until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/education-is-no-longer-thought-of-as-a-preparation-for-adult-life-but/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [“The Master is not trapped in opposites. His this is also a that. He sees that life becomes death and death becomes life, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-master-is-not-trapped-in-opposites-his-this-is-also-a-that-he/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [What is the gospel according to Jesus? Simply this: that the love we all long for in our innermost heart is already present, beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-is-the-gospel-according-to-jesus-simply-this-that-the-love-we/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [“I am speechless: what can I answer? I put hand on my mouth. I have said too much already; now I will speak no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/i-am-speechless-what-can-i-answer-i-put-hand-on-my-mouth-i-have-said/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [When speech comes from a quiet heart, it has the strength of the orchid, and the fragrance of rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/when-speech-comes-from-a-quiet-heart-it-has-the-strength-of-the/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [“Hmm,' said the King. 'I must write that down in my book of aphorisms. I don't know if it is deep, but it sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/hmm-said-the-king-i-must-write-that-down-in-my-book-of-aphorisms-i/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [There are two kinds of women: those who marry princes and those who marry frogs. The frogs never become princes, but it is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/there-are-two-kinds-of-women-those-who-marry-princes-and-those-who/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [“The river rises, flows over its banks and carries us all away, like mayflies floating downstream: they stare at the sun, then all at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-river-rises-flows-over-its-banks-and-carries-us-all-away-like/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [What may appear to be proud ungrateful and headstrong fron the outside may from the inside express an unshakable integrity of character. Pride, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-may-appear-to-be-proud-ungrateful-and-headstrong-fron-the/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [“The Frog was the only one who could retrieve the golden ball because he was the only one who could descend into the well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-frog-was-the-only-one-who-could-retrieve-the-golden-ball-because/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [“The master competes with no one so, no one can compete with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-master-competes-with-no-one-so-no-one-can-compete-with-her/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [Creativity, not normality, has become the paradigm of mental health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/creativity-not-normality-has-become-the-paradigm-of-mental-health/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [What people love about life is its miraculous beauty; what they hate about death is the loss and decay around it. Yet losing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/what-people-love-about-life-is-its-miraculous-beauty-what-they-hate/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) [Explore all 38 Stephen Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) ## More Duty quotes > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/few-political-debates-have-been-as-divisive-as-the-european-one-i/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Is that what they teach you at the convent? That the gods demand the hearts from our bodies?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/is-that-what-they-teach-you-at-the-convent-that-the-gods-demand-the/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [The less we show our love to a woman, Or please her less, and neglect our duty, The more we trap and ruin her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/the-less-we-show-our-love-to-a-woman-or-please-her-less-and-neglect/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“You have a right to be sad, and a duty to move on. Only wins who wipes the tears, gather strength and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/you-have-a-right-to-be-sad-and-a-duty-to-move-on-only-wins-who-wipes/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Regardless of how you feel about war and peace those serving military are doing a duty for the rest of us and they're protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/regardless-of-how-you-feel-about-war-and-peace-those-serving-military/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [“Duty is a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/duty-is-a-done-deal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I do not so much rejoice that God hath made me to be a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-do-not-so-much-rejoice-that-god-hath-made-me-to-be-a-queen-as-to-be/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) [Browse all 5,178 Duty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is better to do your own duty badly than to perfectly do an others; when you do your duty, you are naturally free from sin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-than-to-perfectly-do-an-others/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Duty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-than-to-perfectly-do-an-others/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/stephen-mitchell-16811_duty_it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-t_1462836.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/stephen-mitchell-16811_duty_it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-t_1462836.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/stephen-mitchell-16811_duty_it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-t_1462836.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is better to do your own duty badly than to perfectly do an others; when you do your duty, you are…” — Stephen Mitchell", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stephen Mitchell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is better to do your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-than-to-perfectly-do-an-others/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/it-is-better-to-do-your-own-duty-badly-than-to-perfectly-do-an-others/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```