Duty

For this is our most perfect duty and yet least known to us by nature: Whatever we conceive or will should be joined with the good of our neighbor.
~ William Ames, Medulla Theologica (The Marrow of Theology) (1629).

In the time we have it is surely our duty to do all the good we can to all the people we can in all the ways we can.
~ William Barclay, Letter to the Hebrews (1955).

One of the highest of human duties is that of encouragement.
~ William Barclay, Letter to the Hebrews (1955).

Teaching children about morality -- making meaningful concepts like right and wrong, good and evil -- is imperative. It also is a duty that we have shirked all too often in the past 40 years.
~ William John Bennett, in The Chicago Tribune (28 July 2002). Capitalism and a moral education

Duty signifies neither more nor less than doing what you feel you ought to do, and leaving undone what you know you ought not to do.
~ William Booth, Letters to Salvationists on Religion for Every Day (1902). XXVI: Duty

A flag that is good enough to live under is good enough to fight for.
~ William Cowper Brann, in The Complete Works of Brann, the Iconoclast, Vol. II (1919). Editorial Etchings

The duty I owe to the slave, to truth, and to God, demands that I should use my pen and tongue so long as life and health are vouchsafed to me to employ them, or until the last chain shall fall from the limbs of the last slave in America and the world.
~ William Wells Brown, in The Liberator (14 December 1849).

There is no intensity of love or feeling that does not involve the risk of crippling hurt. It is a duty to take this risk, to love and feel without defense or reserve.
~ William S. Burroughs, Letter to Jack Kerouac (24 May 1954).

I've watched my duty, straight an' true,
An' tried to do it well;
Part of the time kept heaven in view,
An' part steered clear of hell.
~ William McKendree ("Will") Carleton, The New Church Doctrine

Do your duty, and you cannot fail to fit yourself for an honorable work.
~ William Ellery Channing, from Memoir of William Ellery Channing: With Extracts from His Correspondence and Manuscripts (1848), Vol. I. Part I. Chapter III: College Life

Duty must be primary, prominent, most conspicuous, among the objects of human thought and pursuit.
~ William Ellery Channing (D.D.), Slavery (1835). Introduction

The sense of duty is the fountain of human rights.
~ William Ellery Channing (D.D.), Slavery (1835). Chapter II. Rights

You must, from a sense of duty, open your mind to all the influences which will aid body and mind.
~ William Ellery Channing, from Memoir of William Ellery Channing: With Extracts from His Correspondence and Manuscripts (1848), Vol. III. Part II (continued). Chapter VI: Friends

May we not find the "whole duty of man" condensed into a few brief sentences, which have been expressed by thoughtful men in all ages and in countries far apart?
~ William Alexander (W.A.) Clouston, Book of Wise Sayings: Selected Largely from Eastern Sources (1893). Preface

From a very early age I had imbibed the opinion that it was every man's duty to do all that lay in his power to leave his country as good as he had found it.
~ William Cobbett, in the Political Register (22 December 1832).

Let us love our country, but pledge allegiance to the earth and to the flora and fauna and human life that it supports -- one planet indivisible, with clean air, soil and water; with liberty, justice and peace for all.
~ Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., Sermon at Riverside Church, New York NY (5 October 2003).

Someone should tell the Germans about hyphens.
~ William Cole

I said to a guy, "Tell me, what is it about cocaine that makes it so wonderful," and he said, "Because it intensifies your personality." I said, "Yes, but what if you're an asshole?"
~ Bill Cosby, from Bill Cosby: Himself (1983 film, at the Hamilton Place Theatre in Hamilton, Ontario).

Drink, and be mad then;
'Tis your country bids!
Gloriously drunk, obey the important call!
~ William Cowper, The Task (1785). Book IV. The Winter Evening

True piety is cheerful as the day.
~ William Cowper, from Poems by William Cowper of the Inner Temple, Esq. (1782). Truth

A man cannot walk among thorns and not be pierced; neither can he lead an impious life and die happy.
~ William Scott Downey, Proverbs, by Rev. William Scott Downey (1851 edition).

Never mind your happiness; do your duty.
~ William James "Will" Durant, The Story of Philosophy: the Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers (1926).

Duty and right are relative terms. If it be the duty of one party to do some thing, it is the right of some other party to expect or exact the doing of it.
~ William Fleming, The Vocabulary of Philosophy, Mental, Moral, and Metaphysical (1856).

[T]he whole duty of man may be said to consist in promoting the improvement and perfection of his nature and condition, and in thus attaining to happiness.
~ William Fleming, A Manual of Moral Philosophy (1860). Part II, Book I: Individual Ethics, or Duties in Reference to One's Self

I ask, deserve, and expect the praise of no individuals for my labors; because I am merely endeavoring to perform my duty.
~ William Lloyd Garrison, in William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879: The Story Of His Life Told By His Children, Volume I (1885). Chapter VII: Baltimore Jail, and After--1830

And the culminating pleasure
That we treasure beyond measure
Is the gratifying feeling that our duty has been done!
~ William Schwenck (W.S.) Gilbert, The Gondoliers (1889 opera). Act II

Our feelings we with difficulty smother
When constabulary duty's to be done,
Ah, take one consideration with another
A policeman's lot is not a happy one.
~ William Schwenck (W.S.) Gilbert, Pirates of Penzance. Act II (1880 opera). A Policeman's Lot is Not a Happy One

[D]uty is a power which rises with us in the morning, and goes to rest with us at night. It is coextensive with the action of our intelligence. It is the shadow that cleaves to us, go where we will, and which only leaves us when we leave the light of life.
~ William Ewart Gladstone, The Vatican Decrees In Their Bearing On Civil Allegiance: A Political Expostulation (1874).

Duty, or the deon, is that which binds.
~ William Ewart Gladstone, in The Might Of Right. From The Writings Of William Ewart Gladstone (1880).

It is the duty of the government to make it easy for people to do right and difficult for them to do wrong.
~ William Ewart Gladstone, Speech at Buckley (4 January 1864).

It is the duty of a Minister to stand like a wall of adamant between the people and the Sovereign.
~ William Ewart Gladstone, Speech at Garston (14 November 1868).

Duty is that mode of action on the part of the individual, which constitutes the best possible application of his capacity to the general benefit.
~ William Godwin, An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice (1793). Book II, Chapter IV. Of Personal Virtue And Duty

They held it their duty to live but for their country.
~ William Godwin, Thoughts on Man, His Nature, Productions and Discoveries (1831). Essay VI: Of Self-Love and Benevolence

It is not knowing another's duty, nor censuring the negligence of another, but doing our own, will bring us safely and comfortably to our journey's end.
~ William Gurnall, The Christian In Complete Armour (1665).

[I]n duty the individual finds his liberation; ... liberation from dependence on mere natural impulse.
~ Georg Wilhelm Friedrich (G.W.F.) Hegel, The Philosophy of Right (1821). Section 149

[M]an must strengthen himself doubly at such times to fulfil his duty and to do what is right, and must seek his happiness and inward peace from objects which cannot be taken away from him.
~ Wilhelm von Humboldt, in Letters of William Von Humboldt to a Female Friend, Vol. II (1849 translation). Letter XVIII. Tegel, September 7, 1830

[W]hen we are not too anxious about happiness and unhappiness, but devote ourselves to the strict and unsparing performance of duty, then happiness comes of itself.
~ Wilhelm von Humboldt

The right religious use of everything and every talent, is the indispensable duty of every being that is capable of knowing right and wrong.
~ William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (1728). Chapter V

The debt of Life. To what? Unto the whole
Of Life, -- unto the Universal Soul.
~ William James Linton, Claribel and Other Poems (1865). Definitions. Duty

Straight is the line of Duty,
Curved is the line of Beauty,
Follow the straight line, thou hall see
The curved line ever follow thee.
~ William Maccall, from Moods and Memories (1885).

Loyalty, if it requires anything, requires the giving of one's best judgment at all times.
~ William B. Macomber, The Angel's Game: A Handbook of Modern Diplomacy (1975).

Duty had one hand only, and only one finger; and that finger had always pointed definitely in one direction.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, The Hero (1901). Chapter I

Duty is dictated by law, by public opinion, and by conscience. Each by itself may have no great power, but the three together are probably irresistible.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, from A Writer's Notebook (1949). 1901 entry

[E]very man's fust duty is ter get as many children as 'e bloomin' well can.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, Liza of Lambeth (1897).

The lark is up to meet the sun,
The bee is on the wing;
The ant its labor has begun,
The woods with music ring.
Shall birds, and bees, and ants, be wise,
While I my moments waste?
O let me with the morning rise,
And to my duty haste.
~ William Holmes McGuffey, McGuffey's Eclectic Primer (1849 edition).

What is possible is our highest duty.
~ William E. Mclaren, Practice of the Interior Life (1897).

[T]here is one duty obvious to us all; it is that we should set ourselves, each one of us, to doing our best to guard the natural beauty of the earth: we ought to look upon it as a crime, an injury to our fellows, only excusable because of ignorance, to mar the natural beauty, which is the property of all men; and scarce less than a crime to look on and do nothing while others are marring it, if we can no longer plead this ignorance.
~ William Morris, from Hopes and Fears for Art (1882). The Prospects of Architecture in Civilisation (lecture delivered at the London Institution, 10 March 1880)

Duty is an angel, reverently beloved, that walks beside the man, with solemn steps.
~ William Mountford, Euthanasy: Or, Happy Talk Towards the End of Life (1848). Chapter XXXII

Duty reaches down the ages in its effects, and into eternity; and when the man goes about it resolutely, it seems to me now as though his footsteps were echoing beyond the stars.
~ William Mountford, Euthanasy: Or, Happy Talk Towards the End of Life (1848). Chapter XVII

I will do my duty unawed. What am I to fear?
~ William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield (Lord Mansfield), stated in the Wilkes' Case (1768).

It is one of the worst of errors, to suppose that there is another path of safety except that of duty.
~ William Nevins, in Practical Thoughts (1836). 18. Detached Thoughts

No man's spirits were ever hurt by doing his duty.
~ William Paley, in Sermons, on Several Subjects (1808).

"Duty" may be defined as the thing that can be done, because it is the thing that ought to be done.
~ William Peter Pearce, Stepping Stones To Manhood (1903). Part II. Chapter XI: Be Dutiful

Be conscientious in the performance of every duty.
~ William S. Plumer, Vital Godliness: A Treatise on Experimental and Practical Piety (1864). Chapter VIII. Spiritual Darkness

This is your duty, your solemn, earliest duty, to let your light shine before men, that, wondering at its luminous and radiant flame, they may see your good works.
~ William Morley (W.M.) Punshon, Sermon at Hinde Street Chapel (18 December 1859). Christian Consistency

Let duty lead you firmly on,
And justice be your shield.
~ William Ray, Poems, On Various Subjects: Religious, Moral, Sentimental And Humorous (1821). War, Or A Prospect Of It

Duty is never uncertain at first. It is only after we have got involved in the mazes and sophistries of wishing that things were otherwise than they are, that it seems indistinct. Considering a duty is often only explaining it away.
~ Frederick William (F.W.) Robertson

I am the Unknown Soldier
And maybe I died in vain,
But if I were alive and my country called,
I'd do it all over again.
~ Billy Rose, The Unknown Soldier (circa 1926)

A sense of duty is moral glue, constantly subject to stress.
~ William L. Safire, in The New York Times (23 May 1986).

I do perceive here a divided duty.
~ William Shakespeare, Othello. Act I, scene iii

I owe him little duty and less love.
~ William Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part I. Act IV, scene iv

Such duty as the subject owes the prince, even such a woman oweth to her husband.
~ William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew. Act V, scene ii

Every man and woman in society has one big duty. That is, to take care of his or her own self. This is a social duty.
~ William Graham Sumner, What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (1883). Chapter VIII. On the Value, As a Sociological Principle, of the Rule to Mind One's Own Business

Of all the watchwords of life, duty is the highest and best.
~ William Makepeace Thayer, Success: Oracle of the Age (1892). LXXVII. Duty

Every man has his obligations which belong to his station. Duties extend beyond obligations, and direct the affections, desires, and intentions, as well as the actions.
~ William Whewell, The Elements of Morality, including Polity, Vol. I (1845). Book III. Chapter V. Duties

What it is our Duty to do, we must do because it is right, not because any one can demand it of us.
~ William Whewell, The Elements of Morality, including Polity, Vol. I (1845). Book I. Chapter IV. Right, Adjective, and Right, Substantive

Let everyone regulate his conduct ... by the golden rule of doing to others as in similar circumstances we would have them do to us, and the path of duty will be clear before him.
~ William Wilberforce

Who keeps close to duty finds pleasure dwells near.
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox, from Three Women (1897). XI

Recruits! Before the altar and the servant of God you have given me your oath of allegiance. ... You have sworn fidelity to me, you are the children of my guard, you are my soldiers, you have surrendered yourself to me, body and soul.
~ Wilhelm II, Speech (1891)

All these questions about do you want to be king? It's not a question of wanting to be, it's something I was born into and it's my duty. ... Wanting is not the right word. But those stories about me not wanting to be king are all wrong.
~ Prince William, 21st birthday interview with the Press Association (PA), St James's Palace (21 June 2003).

Patriotism kills.
~ Betty Williams, PeaceJam Foundation (4 July 1995). An Interview with Betty Williams

If I am asked ... how do you know that you ought to do that, of which your conscience enjoins the performance? I can only say that such is my duty. Here investigation must stop; reasoning can go no farther.
~ James Wilson, Lectures on Law, Delivered in the College of Philadelphia (1790-91). Of the Law of Nature

Duty is the disposition to honor obligations even without hope of reward or fear of punishment.
~ James Q. Wilson, The Moral Sense (1993). Part I. Chapter 7. Duty

Never be curious to know what passes in the world, any further than duty obliges you; it will only distract the mind when it should be better employed.
~ (Bishop) Thomas Wilson, in Sacra Privata: The Private Meditations and Prayers of Right Rev. T. Wilson, D.D. (1781).

A light of duty shines on every day
For all; and yet how few are warmed or cheered!
~ William Wordsworth, The Excursion (1814). Book V: The Pastor

Resolved that nothing e'er should press
Upon my present happiness,
I shoved unwelcome tasks away;
But thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may.
~ William Wordsworth, from Poems in Two Volumes, Volume I (1807). Ode to Duty (1805)

To humbler functions, awful Power!
I call thee: I myself commend
Unto thy guidance from this hour;
Oh, let my weakness have an end!
~ William Wordsworth, from Poems in Two Volumes, Volume I (1807). Ode to Duty (1805)

[N]othing is stronger than aversion.
~ William Wycherley, The Gentleman Dancing Master (1671). Act I, scene i