--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Living by your principles will always be…" description: "\"“Living by your principles will always be the harder path. But you have to do it anyway. You have to do what’s right no matter how hard it gets, or one..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/zoe-cannon-89435_life-lessons_living-by-your-principles-will-always-be_2221875.jpg" --- # Living by your principles will always be the harder path… ![“Living by your principles will always be the harder path. But you have to do it anyway. You have to do what’s right no matter how hard it gets, or one day you’ll find out you’ve become somebody you can’t live with.” quote by Zoe Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/zoe-cannon-89435_life-lessons_living-by-your-principles-will-always-be_2221875.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/zoe-cannon-89435_life-lessons_living-by-your-principles-will-always-be_2221875.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/zoe-cannon-89435_life-lessons_living-by-your-principles-will-always-be_2221875.jpg) > ““Living by your principles will always be the harder path. But you have to do it anyway. You have to do what’s right no matter how hard it gets, or one day you’ll find out you’ve become somebody you can’t live with.”” Zoe Cannon ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living by principles is difficult but essential; compromising leads to personal regret. **In simple terms:** Sticking to values is hard but necessary. Key Takeaway Stay true to your values despite challenges. Themes ethics personal growth integrity resilience life lessons Mood determined inspired serious Type Harder:1 Life lessons:1 Principles:1 Harder Path:1 Principles Harder:1 Living Principles:1 When to use this quote - career choices - relationships - daily decision making - leadership challenges - personal crises Key Concepts moral courage self‑discipline identity long‑term fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What principle are you avoiding? - How does compromise affect integrity? A Different Perspective Principles may clash with practical realities, causing conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-lessons/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) ## Related quotes > [“But I stay. I stay because I will not be someone who abandons my principles as soon as they become inconvenient. I will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-casey/but-i-stay-i-stay-because-i-will-not-be-someone-who-abandons-my/) [Elle Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-casey/) > [The more you talk about - and live by - your principles, the harder it will be for others to treat you in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/the-more-you-talk-about-and-live-by-your-principles-the-harder-it/) [Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/) > [“Being kind, being compassionate, being respectful does not make you weak. More often, it's the harder path to take.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-m-wiemer/being-kind-being-compassionate-being-respectful-does-not-make-you/) [Liza M. Wiemer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-m-wiemer/) > [My sons! \*sigh\* My sons, If you are to become true ninja you must work harder. Your path in life will not be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/master-splinter/my-sons-sigh-my-sons-if-you-are-to-become-true-ninja-you-must-work/) [Master Splinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/master-splinter/) > [I admire when people take the harder path, not because they are masochistic and want to beat themselves up, but because you actually kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hartnett/i-admire-when-people-take-the-harder-path-not-because-they-are/) [Josh Hartnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hartnett/) > [“Because the church is a formal organization made up of policies, programs, practices, and people, it cannot by itself give a person any deep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/because-the-church-is-a-formal-organization-made-up-of-policies/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [“We must live so that men seeing us will know that we are living by the principles of eternal life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-g-romney/we-must-live-so-that-men-seeing-us-will-know-that-we-are-living-by/) [Marion G. Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-g-romney/) > [The propagation of truth and nonviolence can be done less by books than by actually living on those principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-propagation-of-truth-and-nonviolence-can-be-done-less-by-books/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Ah, my brother, it is a far harder thing, and it is afar higher proof of a thorough-going, persistent, Christian principle woven into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/ah-my-brother-it-is-a-far-harder-thing-and-it-is-afar-higher-proof-of/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/) [E. J. Dionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-dionne/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) ## More by Zoe Cannon > [“I will not be someone who abandons my principles as soon as they become inconvenient. I will not be someone who says that certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-cannon/i-will-not-be-someone-who-abandons-my-principles-as-soon-as-they/) Zoe Cannon Explore all 2 Zoe Cannon quotes ## More Harder quotes > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/) [E. J. Dionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-dionne/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/it-is-easy-to-take-a-photograph-but-it-is-harder-to-make-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/) [Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/) > [There's nothing harder than making a mellow, clean record. It's really scary. I can see why people would never want to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/there-s-nothing-harder-than-making-a-mellow-clean-record-it-s-really/) [Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/) > [I met Tyler Perry and we did 'House of Payne' and a movie. We've done a couple other films since then, but it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-gross/i-met-tyler-perry-and-we-did-house-of-payne-and-a-movie-we-ve-done-a/) [Lance Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-gross/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) Browse all 3,695 Harder quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Living by your principles will always be the harder path. But you have to do it anyway. 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