The Golden Rule/Quotes
There are many sources for the Golden Rule:
Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy
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"What I condemn in another I will, if I may, avoid myself."
—Herodotus, writing in the 400s BCE
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"Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing."
—Thales of Miletus
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" What you wish your neighbors to be to you, such be also to them."
—Sextus the Pythagorean
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"Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others."
—Isocrates
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"What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others."
—Epictetus
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"Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your superiors"
—Seneca, Epistle 47:11
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Bahai
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"And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself"
—Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
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Hinduism / Brahmanism
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"This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you".
—Mahabharata, 5:1517
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Buddhism
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"...a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?"
—Samyutta Nikaya, v. 353
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"Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful."
—Udanavarga, 5:18
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Christianity: The Gospels
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"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
—Matthew 7:12
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"Love thy neighbor as thyself."
—Matthew 22:39
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"Do unto others as you would have done unto you."
—Luke 6:31
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Confucianism
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"Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself."
—Confucius, Analects, XV.24
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"Tse-kung asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'"
—Doctrine of the Mean, 13.3
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Islam
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"That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind."
—Hadith Sukhanan-i-Muhammad
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"Fear God wherever you tread, erase bad deeds with good ones, and be kind to mankind."
—The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith Sunan al-Tirmidhi
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"...if anyone slays a human being-unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth-it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind..."
—The Quran, 5:32
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Judaism
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"What is hateful to thee, do not unto thy fellow; this is the whole law."
—The Talmud, Tractate Shabat, 30a
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Moral Philosophy
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"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end."
—Immanuel Kant, second formulation of the categorical imperative
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"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."
—Immanuel Kant, first formulation of the categorical imperative - according to Kant, this quote has the same meaning as the quotes above.
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- ↑ The Talmud states that this is "the greatest rule in the Torah".