Duty
Duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; Old French: deu, did, past participle of devoir; Latin: debere, debitum, whence "debt") is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment or obligation to someone or something. The moral commitment should result in action; it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition. When someone recognizes a duty, that person theoretically commits themself to its fulfillment without considering their own self-interest. This is not to suggest that living a life of duty entirely precludes a life of leisure; however, its fulfilment generally involves some sacrifice of immediate self-interest. Typically, "the demands of justice, honor, and reputation are deeply bound up" with duty.
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Famous quotes containing the word duty:
“Rights that do not flow from duty well performed are not worth having.”
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948)
“The first duty of government is to see that people have food, fuel, and clothes. The second, that they have means of moral and intellectual education.”
—John Ruskin (1819–1900)
“Reinhold Niebuhr observes that the sad duty of politics is to establish justice in a sinful world.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)