--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing a man can take beyond this…" description: "\"The only thing a man can take beyond this lifetime is his ethics.\" — Thomas Jefferson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-thi_1342815.jpg" --- # The only thing a man can take beyond this lifetime is his… ![“The only thing a man can take beyond this lifetime is his ethics.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-thi_1342815.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-thi_1342815.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-thi_1342815.jpg) > “The only thing a man can take beyond this lifetime is his ethics.” [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 are the only lasting legacy a person can leave beyond material possessions. **In simple terms:** Morals outlive wealth. Key Takeaway Cultivate strong principles. Themes ethics legacy mortality Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal decisions - public service Key Concepts philosophical moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What ethical principles guide your life? - How can you ensure your values endure? A Different Perspective Ethics may be ignored in a materialistic society. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Lifetime Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime-ethics-4541933/) [Man Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-lifetime-915638/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Thing Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-man-478529/) ## Related quotes > [Every man - at least once in his lifetime - has visited the silent and dark street of disappointment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-man-at-least-once-in-his-lifetime-has-visited-the-silent-and/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [If a man, in a lifetime of 50 years, can point to six songs that are immediately identifiable, he has achieved something. Irving Berlin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-cahn/if-a-man-in-a-lifetime-of-50-years-can-point-to-six-songs-that-are/) [Sammy Cahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-cahn/) > [“I joked about every prominent man in my lifetime, but I never met one I didn't like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-joked-about-every-prominent-man-in-my-lifetime-but-i-never-met-one/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Every man in his lifetime needs to thank his faults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-man-in-his-lifetime-needs-to-thank-his-faults/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I got plenty of cautions that one or two of these marathons was all a man should do in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-demar/i-got-plenty-of-cautions-that-one-or-two-of-these-marathons-was-all-a/) [Clarence DeMar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-demar/) > [The worst thing you can do to a man is to tell him he can have what he wants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-worst-thing-you-can-do-to-a-man-is-to-tell-him-he-can-have-what/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [It's just a mentality-type thing, man. One guy isn't going to bring me down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deebo-samuel/it-s-just-a-mentality-type-thing-man-one-guy-isn-t-going-to-bring-me/) [Deebo Samuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deebo-samuel/) > [“The hardest thing is a man to truly know himself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/the-hardest-thing-is-a-man-to-truly-know-himself/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [It is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/it-is-one-thing-to-show-a-man-that-he-is-in-an-error-and-another-to/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [The most beautiful thing to see in a man is when he cries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-parkin/the-most-beautiful-thing-to-see-in-a-man-is-when-he-cries/) [Sophie Parkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-parkin/) > [Fighting is the best thing a man can have in his soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-gracie/fighting-is-the-best-thing-a-man-can-have-in-his-soul/) [Renzo Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-gracie/) > [“The first thing a man will do for his ideal is lie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-schumpeter/the-first-thing-a-man-will-do-for-his-ideal-is-lie/) [Joseph Schumpeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-schumpeter/) > [The most fatal thing a man can do is try to stand alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/the-most-fatal-thing-a-man-can-do-is-try-to-stand-alone/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [The history of the world shows that when a mean thing was done, man did it; when a good thing was done, man did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-history-of-the-world-shows-that-when-a-mean-thing-was-done-man/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [The best thing for a man to do is to be born and, being born, to die at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-aretino/the-best-thing-for-a-man-to-do-is-to-be-born-and-being-born-to-die-at/) [Pietro Aretino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-aretino/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "The only thing a man can take beyond this lifetime is his ethics.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Jefferson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-this-lifetime-is-his-ethics/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ethics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-this-lifetime-is-his-ethics/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-thi_1342815.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-thi_1342815.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31d/thomas-jefferson-43_ethics_the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-thi_1342815.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only thing a man can take beyond this lifetime is his ethics.” — 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": "The only thing a man can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-this-lifetime-is-his-ethics/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-only-thing-a-man-can-take-beyond-this-lifetime-is-his-ethics/#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 } } ] } ```