--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We do the right thing not to please…" description: "\"We do the right thing not to please people but because it's the only logically reasonable thing to do, as long as we are being honest with ourselves - ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/wangari-maathai-2479_being-honest_we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-peop_1735037.jpg" --- # We do the right thing not to please people but because… ![“We do the right thing not to please people but because it's the only logically reasonable thing to do, as long as we are being honest with ourselves - even if we are the only ones.” quote by Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/wangari-maathai-2479_being-honest_we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-peop_1735037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/wangari-maathai-2479_being-honest_we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-peop_1735037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/wangari-maathai-2479_being-honest_we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-peop_1735037.jpg) > “We do the right thing not to please people but because it's the only logically reasonable thing to do, as long as we are being honest with ourselves - even if we are the only ones.” [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acting ethically stems from internal honesty, not external approval, because rational integrity demands it. **In simple terms:** Do what's right because it's logically right, not to impress others. Key Takeaway Prioritize integrity over approval. Themes ethics integrity logic Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal decision making - leadership - policy advocacy Key Concepts moral philosophy self‑honesty Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your actions align with internal logic? - What risks arise when seeking approval over truth? A Different Perspective People may misinterpret honesty as arrogance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest Ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-ones-1162865/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Logically Reasonable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logically-reasonable-1466051/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Logically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-logically-1466053/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [Reasonable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable/) [Reasonable Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable-thing-1466052/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) [Things to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-to-do/) ## Related quotes > [...a miracles is a reasonable thing to ask for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/a-miracles-is-a-reasonable-thing-to-ask-for/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Being a parent is not a reasonable thing. It is a very hard thing. I am a parent and I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-snider/being-a-parent-is-not-a-reasonable-thing-it-is-a-very-hard-thing-i-am/) [Dee Snider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-snider/) > [I draw attention to the problems that the Islamic ideology brings to our country, and I think that's a perfectly reasonable thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-batten/i-draw-attention-to-the-problems-that-the-islamic-ideology-brings-to/) [Gerard Batten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-batten/) > [I think the notion of tax fairness is the reasonable thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-murphy/i-think-the-notion-of-tax-fairness-is-the-reasonable-thing-to-do/) [Phil Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-murphy/) > [“Our unguarded reactions are the most honest ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mantchev/our-unguarded-reactions-are-the-most-honest-ones/) [Lisa Mantchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mantchev/) > [Antiheroes who are sort of honest to themselves are the ones you root for. 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It's heartbreaking, because singing is such a vulnerable thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-camp/it-s-shocking-when-someone-who-is-really-bad-thinks-they-re-really/) [Anna Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-camp/) > [Being an artist is a totally godlike thing to do - and I have a god complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/being-an-artist-is-a-totally-godlike-thing-to-do-and-i-have-a-god/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Wangari Maathai > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/we-cannot-tire-or-give-up-we-owe-it-to-the-present-and-future/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [What I am trying to say is that they need to learn to rely on themselves and to learn from other people, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/what-i-am-trying-to-say-is-that-they-need-to-learn-to-rely-on/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [As long as there is no trust and confidence that there will be justice and fairness in resource distribution, political positioning will remain more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/as-long-as-there-is-no-trust-and-confidence-that-there-will-be/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [If Africa is left behind, she is going to continue pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, especially carbon. 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But I think its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/as-a-scientist-i-cannot-say-we-don-t-want-to-hear-anything-about-gmos/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [When I first started, it was really an innocent response to the needs of women in rural areas. When we started planting trees to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/when-i-first-started-it-was-really-an-innocent-response-to-the-needs/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [Monsanto will not come empty-handed. Monsanto will come with a big bag of money. And because these governments are poor, when they are shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/monsanto-will-not-come-empty-handed-monsanto-will-come-with-a-big-bag/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [Why has there been so much secrecy about AIDS? When you ask where did the virus come from, it raises a lot of flags.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/why-has-there-been-so-much-secrecy-about-aids-when-you-ask-where-did/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [I stand before you and the world humbled by this recognition and uplifted by the honour of being the 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/i-stand-before-you-and-the-world-humbled-by-this-recognition-and/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) [Explore all 164 Wangari Maathai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) ## More Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) [Maynard Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-ferguson/) > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We do the right thing not to please people but because it's the only logically reasonable thing to do, as long as we are being honest with ourselves - even if we are the only ones.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wangari Maathai" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-people-but-because-it-s-the-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being honest" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-people-but-because-it-s-the-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/wangari-maathai-2479_being-honest_we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-peop_1735037.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/wangari-maathai-2479_being-honest_we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-peop_1735037.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/wangari-maathai-2479_being-honest_we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-peop_1735037.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We do the right thing not to please people but because it's the only logically reasonable thing to do, as…” — Wangari Maathai", "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": "Wangari Maathai", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We do the right thing not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-people-but-because-it-s-the-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/we-do-the-right-thing-not-to-please-people-but-because-it-s-the-only/#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 } } ] } ```