Idries Shah Quotes

If, in the present chaotic and shameful struggle for existence, when organized society offers a premium on greed, cruelty, and deceit, men can be found who stand aloof and almost alone in their determination to work for good rather than gold

Vertue flies from the heart of a Mercenary man.

The virtuous man is driven by responsibility, the non-virtuous man is driven by profit.

Seven social sins: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.

I believe that people generally want to be what we call good. They want to cooperate with people. They don't want to steal; they don't want to cheat. But everybody has a price. Everybody has an incentive.

It's better to die doing good than to live doing evil.

The Master said, “If your conduct is determined solely by considerations of profit you will arouse great resentment.

That which is selfish is immoral, and that which is unselfish is moral.

Human dignity can be achieved only in the field of ethics, and ethical achievement is measured by the degree in which our actions are governed by compassion and love, not by greed and aggressiveness.

A cowardly act! What do I care about that? You may be sure that I should never fear to commit one if it were to my advantage.

If a man has a right to be proud of anything, it is of a good action done as it ought to be, without any base interest lurking at the bottom of it.

There is no honest man! not one, that can resist the attraction of gold!

Success gives the character of honesty to some classes of wickedness.

I have long served virtue, And never ta'en wages of her.

I never did a right thing or abstained from a wrong one from any consideration of reward or punishment.

Know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right?

Never suppose that in any possible situation or under any circumstances that it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing however slightly so it may appear to you... Encourage all your virtuous dispositions, and exercise them whenever an opportunity arises, being assured that they will gain strength by exercise ... and that exercise will make them habitual.

Hollywood wants its heroes to be virtuous, but it defines virtue in a way that excludes any action that is self-interested. If virtue means putting others ahead of self, then it's clear that most people, let alone most capitalists, aren't very virtuous.

I hate liberality - nine times out of ten it is cowardice, and the tenth time lack of principle.

Men's moral principles are weak enough without their being made subordinate to selfishness; and their selfishness is quite active enough, without any such effort as Christianity makes to constitute it the mainspring of all their conduct.

Compromise on ethical conduct is not an option.

Donald Trump is not some great man of virtue, but this much I'll say for him: I think he loves America, and I don't think he wants to line his own pockets.

There will be people who will teach for the sake of greed or for the sake of ego. So watch their lives. Do they look and act like Jesus?

Integrity is not about the action but its purpose. Are you doing it for everyone's wellbeing or for your own benefit?

It's Not sacrifice if it's someone else's life you're giving away, it's just evil.