--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has become an article of the creed of…" description: "\"It has become an article of the creed of modern morality that all labour is good in itself -- a convenient belief to those who live on the labour of ot..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/william-morris-4229_articles_it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of_1864473.jpg" --- # It has become an article of the creed of modern morality… ![“It has become an article of the creed of modern morality that all labour is good in itself -- a convenient belief to those who live on the labour of others. But as to those on whom they live, I recommend them not to take it on trust, but to look into the matter a little deeper.” quote by William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/william-morris-4229_articles_it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of_1864473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/william-morris-4229_articles_it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of_1864473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/william-morris-4229_articles_it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of_1864473.jpg) > “It has become an article of the creed of modern morality that all labour is good in itself -- a convenient belief to those who live on the labour of others. But as to those on whom they live, I recommend them not to take it on trust, but to look into the matter a little deeper.” [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern morality claims labor is inherently good, but this belief benefits those who profit from others’ work; scrutinize this claim. **In simple terms:** Labor isn’t always noble. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about work value. Themes labor morality critique Mood critical reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - employment contracts - union negotiations - consumer choices - social activism Key Concepts exploitation economic justice Questions to Reflect On - What hidden benefits do elites gain from labor narratives? - How can workers assert true value? A Different Perspective Idealizing labor can ignore systemic exploitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Creeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeds/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Labour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labour/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Labour is good for a man, bracing up his energies to conquest, And without it life is dull, the man perceiving himself useless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/labour-is-good-for-a-man-bracing-up-his-energies-to-conquest-and/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [I'm still a marginal figure living from book to book, but, as long as I'm producing labour as a good Marxist prole, I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-m-still-a-marginal-figure-living-from-book-to-book-but-as-long-as-i/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [Modern morality and manners suppress all natural instincts, keep people ignorant of the facts of nature and make them fighting drunk on bogey tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/modern-morality-and-manners-suppress-all-natural-instincts-keep/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [“Modern morality consists in accepting the standard of one's age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/modern-morality-consists-in-accepting-the-standard-of-one-s-age/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Modern morality is all about perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/modern-morality-is-all-about-perception/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Individualism has really the higher aim. Modern morality consists in accepting the standard of one's age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/individualism-has-really-the-higher-aim-modern-morality-consists-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Most morality, thought Mma Ramotswe, was about doing the right thing because it had been identified as such by a long process of acceptance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/most-morality-thought-mma-ramotswe-was-about-doing-the-right-thing/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [What little recognition the idea of obligation to the public obtains in modern morality, is derived from Greek and Roman sources, not from Christian;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/what-little-recognition-the-idea-of-obligation-to-the-public-obtains/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“Morality is for everybody, and this means that the views of more than one person are needed to create it. That was what made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/morality-is-for-everybody-and-this-means-that-the-views-of-more-than/) [Alexander Mccall smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [The proposition that the principal articles of the Apostles' Creed did not have the same meaning for the Christians of the earliest times as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-x/the-proposition-that-the-principal-articles-of-the-apostles-creed-did/) [Pope Pius X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-x/) > [Vanity Fair has but two major articles in its editorial creed: first, to believe in the progress and promise of American life, and, second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-crowninshield/vanity-fair-has-but-two-major-articles-in-its-editorial-creed-first/) [Frank Crowninshield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-crowninshield/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Any creative process is about being in a territory which isn't secure, isn't necessarily familiar, and isn't convenient in any sort of way. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/any-creative-process-is-about-being-in-a-territory-which-isn-t-secure/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [Never threaten, because a threat is a promise to pay that it isn't always convenient to meet, but if you don't make it good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/never-threaten-because-a-threat-is-a-promise-to-pay-that-it-isn-t/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) > [For rich children, it'd be very easy and convenient never to take any steps to build an identity outside of your association with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-johnson/for-rich-children-it-d-be-very-easy-and-convenient-never-to-take-any/) [Jamie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-johnson/) ## More by William Morris > [I can't enter into politico-social subjects with any interest, for on the whole, I see that things are in a muddle, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/i-can-t-enter-into-politico-social-subjects-with-any-interest-for-on/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [...If our houses, or clothes, our household furniture and utensils are not works of art, they are either wretched makeshifts, or, what is worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/if-our-houses-or-clothes-our-household-furniture-and-utensils-are-not/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [“Do not be deceived by the outside appearance of order in our plutocratic society. It fares with it as it does with the older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/do-not-be-deceived-by-the-outside-appearance-of-order-in-our/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/i-do-not-want-art-for-a-few-any-more-than-education-for-a-few-or/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [I half wish that I had not been born with a sense of romance and beauty in this accursed age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/i-half-wish-that-i-had-not-been-born-with-a-sense-of-romance-and/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [In Prison Wearily, drearily, Half the day long, Flap the great banners High over the stone; Strangely and eerily Sounds the wind's song, Bending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/in-prison-wearily-drearily-half-the-day-long-flap-the-great-banners/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [Free men must live simple lives and have simple pleasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/free-men-must-live-simple-lives-and-have-simple-pleasures/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [“Now let us go, love, down the winding stair, With fingers intertwined...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/now-let-us-go-love-down-the-winding-stair-with-fingers-intertwined/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [Between complete socialism and communism there is no difference whatever in my mind.Communism is in fact the completion of socialism; when that ceases to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/between-complete-socialism-and-communism-there-is-no-difference/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [“October O love, turn from the changing sea and gaze, Down these grey slopes, upon the year grown old, A-dying 'mid the autumn-scented haze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/october-o-love-turn-from-the-changing-sea-and-gaze-down-these-grey/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [The wind is not helpless for any man's need, Nor falleth the rain but for thistle and weed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/the-wind-is-not-helpless-for-any-man-s-need-nor-falleth-the-rain-but/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [“Have nothing in your house you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/have-nothing-in-your-house-you-do-not-know-to-be-useful-or-believe-to/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/simplicity-of-life-even-the-barest-is-not-a-misery-but-the-very/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [I pondered all these things, and how men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/i-pondered-all-these-things-and-how-men-fight-and-lose-the-battle-and/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [Happy as we are, times may alter; we may be bitten with some impulse towards change, and many things may seem too wonderful for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/happy-as-we-are-times-may-alter-we-may-be-bitten-with-some-impulse/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) [Explore all 114 William Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) ## More Articles quotes > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [The strange thing with Wikipedia is that the first article that ever gets written about you will define your Wikipedia page forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/the-strange-thing-with-wikipedia-is-that-the-first-article-that-ever/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Authors of published papers and editors of scientific journals can, unfortunately, be slow to come to terms with criticism, and it's good that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-gelman/authors-of-published-papers-and-editors-of-scientific-journals-can/) Andrew Gelman > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Over immense periods of time the intellect produced nothing but errors. A few of these proved to be useful and helped to preserve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/over-immense-periods-of-time-the-intellect-produced-nothing-but/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I used to be a columnist for 'Golf Monthly' and have contributed articles for national newspapers based on the humour that is in abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-carrott/i-used-to-be-a-columnist-for-golf-monthly-and-have-contributed/) [Jasper Carrott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-carrott/) > [There was an interesting article in Los Angeles Magazine about women directors. A woman director makes one bad independent film and her career is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-wolf/there-was-an-interesting-article-in-los-angeles-magazine-about-women/) [Dick Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-wolf/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize,... The people are confirmed by the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tench-coxe/as-civil-rulers-not-having-their-duty-to-the-people-duly-before-them/) [Tench Coxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tench-coxe/) > [An article on playwrights in the Daily Mail , listed according to Hard Left, Soft Left, Hard Right, Soft Right and Centre. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/an-article-on-playwrights-in-the-daily-mail-listed-according-to-hard/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [I have always loved to read, and now that I have penned 10 novels and a few magazine articles, I have fallen seriously in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-benton-frank/i-have-always-loved-to-read-and-now-that-i-have-penned-10-novels-and/) [Dorothea Benton Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-benton-frank/) > [The definition of the right of suffrage is very justly regarded as a fundamental article of republican government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-definition-of-the-right-of-suffrage-is-very-justly-regarded-as-a/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) Browse all 893 Articles quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It has become an article of the creed of modern morality that all labour is good in itself -- a convenient belief to those who live on the labour of others. But as to those on whom they live, I recommend them not to take it on trust, but to look into the matter a little deeper.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Morris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of-modern-morality-that-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Articles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of-modern-morality-that-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/william-morris-4229_articles_it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of_1864473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/william-morris-4229_articles_it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of_1864473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/william-morris-4229_articles_it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of_1864473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It has become an article of the creed of modern morality that all labour is good in itself -- a convenient…” — William Morris", "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": "William Morris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It has become an article of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of-modern-morality-that-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/it-has-become-an-article-of-the-creed-of-modern-morality-that-all/#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 } } ] } ```