Quotes about responsibility

Assigning blame is a fixation of an ineffective mind.

Well, as I say, authority is always lawfully relinquished, but sometimes the legitimacy is acquired after the relinquishment.

“You mean retroactively?”

I mean that cause and effect are not always arranged in an ideal sequence.

“In other words,” Filidor translated, “not only do victors write the histories, but usurpers also rewrite the rule book to justify the illicit seizure of office.”

Perhaps not the most felicitous manner of putting it, but essentially correct.

“I am surprised the people put up with such shenanigans. They should rise up.”

Unwittingly, I am sure, you put your finger on the flaw in your own reasoning.

“How so?”

You said, “They should rise up,” not “We should rise up.” As long as it is a matter to be solved by others, it will not be.

We are responsible for our civilization. We vote... choose what to buy and how to live... collectively [as] part of the human journey.

Do not separate authority from responsibility.

If there must be blame, then all citizens—you, I, everyone—are responsible for letting it be that kind of world, for not placing ethical development ahead of every other kind. We understand ethical necessities quite well; we’ve been capable of understanding them for several thousand years; but we haven’t been willing to let them rule our actions—it’s that simple.

Every tribe has a responsibility to the workings of the universe; today as yesterday, human beings play an intrinsic role in the ongoing creation.

The people who live in any generation do much, he realized, either to create or to solve the problems for the people who come in the generations later.

It is an honor to be the guardian of another species—an honor within each person's reach that we too often forget.

Most people are indifferent, unless their self-interest is at stake. Then there are the chronic complainers. [...] Fortunately, there are those in every organization, few but invaluable, who know their responsibilities and seem to thrive on meeting them. They get things done. These are the ones we all rely upon, the people who take care of the rest of us, quiet leaders.

To carry a gift is also to carry a responsibility.

Duties and gifts are two sides of the same coin. Eagles were given the gift of far sight, so it is their duty to watch over us. Rain fulfills its duty as it falls, because it was given the gift of sustaining life. What is the duty of humans? If gifts and responsibilities are one, then asking "What is our responsibility?" is the same as asking "What is our gift?" It is said that only humans have the capacity for gratitude. This is among our gifts.

None of us can be held responsible for the wrongs of our ancestors. But if today we choose not to do the right and necessary thing, that burden we own.