--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I consider ethics, as well as religion…" description: "\"I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man.\" — Thomas Jefferson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as_844601.jpg" --- # I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to… ![“I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as_844601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as_844601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as_844601.jpg) > “I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man.” [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ethics and religion are viewed as complementary to law in governing society. **In simple terms:** Ethics and religion support law. Key Takeaway Consider moral frameworks alongside legal systems. Themes government ethics religion law society Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy making - legal reform - civic education - community leadership Key Concepts Moral philosophy social contract Questions to Reflect On - How do ethics influence legal decisions? - Can religion coexist with secular law? A Different Perspective May overlook pluralistic views on law. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Supplements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supplements/) ## Related quotes > [I've handled colour as a man should behave. You may conclude that I consider ethics and aesthetics as one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/i-ve-handled-colour-as-a-man-should-behave-you-may-conclude-that-i/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [I do not believe in immortality of the individual, and I consider ethics to be an exclusively human concern with no superhuman authority behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-do-not-believe-in-immortality-of-the-individual-and-i-consider/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance and forgiveness, can and do promote inner values. But the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/all-the-world-s-major-religions-with-their-emphasis-on-love/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Ethics and religion differ herein; that the one is the system of human duties commencing from man; the other, from God. Religion includes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/ethics-and-religion-differ-herein-that-the-one-is-the-system-of-human/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The meaning of life is pretty clear: Living things strive to pass their genes into the future. The claim that we would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-meaning-of-life-is-pretty-clear-living-things-strive-to-pass/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [“Without morality and ethics there is no religion (dharma), the foundation of religion is morality and ethics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/without-morality-and-ethics-there-is-no-religion-dharma-the/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“Authors as diverse as Matthew Arnold and George Orwell have given thought to the serious question: what is to be done about morals and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/authors-as-diverse-as-matthew-arnold-and-george-orwell-have-given/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [while religion is ethical, it by no means follows that ethics is religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-harkness/while-religion-is-ethical-it-by-no-means-follows-that-ethics-is/) [Georgia Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-harkness/) > [Ethics and religion must not stay at home when we go to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/achille-silvestrini/ethics-and-religion-must-not-stay-at-home-when-we-go-to-work/) Achille Silvestrini > [All the world's major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/all-the-world-s-major-religions-with-their-emphasis-on-love-2/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Christianity is the only system of faith which combines religious beliefs with corresponding principles of morality. It builds ethics on religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-phelps/christianity-is-the-only-system-of-faith-which-combines-religious/) [Austin Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-phelps/) > [Socrates claimed famously that one never loses by doing the right thing. Stephen Post and his contributors claim, a little less boldly, that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holmes-rolston-iii/socrates-claimed-famously-that-one-never-loses-by-doing-the-right/) [Holmes Rolston III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holmes-rolston-iii/) > [Things said by political parties are different from the decisions of the government which are taken to uphold the rule of law. The government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-fernandes/things-said-by-political-parties-are-different-from-the-decisions-of/) Oscar Fernandes > [If the jury have no right to judge of the justice of a law of the government, they plainly can do nothing to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/if-the-jury-have-no-right-to-judge-of-the-justice-of-a-law-of-the/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [There is, in fact, no law or government at all; and it is wonderful how well things go on without them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/there-is-in-fact-no-law-or-government-at-all-and-it-is-wonderful-how/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) ## More by Thomas Jefferson > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Perceiving the order of nature to be that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue, I am willing to hope it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/perceiving-the-order-of-nature-to-be-that-individual-happiness-shall/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one-step-what-will-be-the-next/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The two principles on which our conduct towards the Indians should be founded are justice and fear. After the injuries we have done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-two-principles-on-which-our-conduct-towards-the-indians-should-be/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/nothing-but-free-argument-raillery-and-even-ridicule-will-preserve/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-the-people-are-afraid-of-the-government-that-s-tyranny-but-when/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) [Explore all 2,098 Thomas Jefferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More Ethics quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) Rabelaise > [He who mistrusts most should be trusted least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theognis-of-megara/he-who-mistrusts-most-should-be-trusted-least/) [Theognis of Megara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theognis-of-megara/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [Ethics is the activity of man directed to secure the inner perfection of his own personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/ethics-is-the-activity-of-man-directed-to-secure-the-inner-perfection/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Records, radio, television, movies, magazines-all are monopolized by the money managers who are guided by one ethic, the words wealth and power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/records-radio-television-movies-magazines-all-are-monopolized-by-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ethics is not definable, is not implementable, because it is not conscious; it involves not only our thinking, but also our feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valdemar-w-setzer/ethics-is-not-definable-is-not-implementable-because-it-is-not/) Valdemar W Setzer > [Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-hayes/any-time-you-give-a-man-something-he-doesn-t-earn-you-cheapen-him-our/) [Woody Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-hayes/) [Browse all 4,548 Ethics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Jefferson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as-supplements-to-law-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ethics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as-supplements-to-law-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as_844601.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as_844601.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as_844601.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man.” — Thomas Jefferson", "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": "Thomas Jefferson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I consider ethics, as well as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as-supplements-to-law-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-consider-ethics-as-well-as-religion-as-supplements-to-law-in-the/#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 } } ] } ```