Moral Choice Quotes

“Most men, if not all, live in their illusions. To destroy this illusion is to deprive them of their happiness. In this context, we face a serious moral choice: whether to allow a person to live in illusion and be happy, or open his eyes and make him unhappy.”
― Elmar Hussein

“Morally speaking, the fathers of the hydrogen bomb had nothing to do with the latter. They were cracking not ethics, not culture, not our soul, but a scientific and technological problem.”
― Romain Gary, The Gasp

“This was however NOT the scientist’s responsibility. Morally speaking, the fathers of the hydrogen bomb had nothing to do with the latter. They were cracking not ethics, not culture, not our soul, but a scientific and technological problem.”
― Romain Gary

“The basket is filled with rotten apples... but it is up to you whether you choose to search for the good among them. If you focus only on evil, you yourself will become a villain... or lose hope forever."
—The Priest, Caught You”
― Berika Black

“The basket is filled with rotten apples... but it is up to you whether you choose to search for the good among them. If you focus only on evil, you yourself will become a villain... or lose hope forever."
— Berika Black”
― Berika Black

“Out here, when the sea rises, we’re brothers. How will you face your family if you leave them to drown?”
― Deni Ar Dente, Code Gaia: Emergence

“Soon after the birth, Maria was shown her son. He was no longer crying.
The baby was tiny, frail, his skin wrinkled — yet his bright, restless eyes darted stubbornly in every direction, as if he were trying to take in this vast, unfamiliar, and beautiful world as quickly as possible.
“You did well, Maria! You have a son! You did well!” Irina kissed her daughter’s hand joyfully. “Everything will be all right now.”
Seeing her child, Maria felt relief wash over her. She longed to take him into her arms, to press him to her chest — but the baby was taken away.
After the necessary procedures, the midwife quietly pulled Irina aside.
“Breastfeeding is dangerous,” she whispered. “The baby could contract typhus. But he is premature, weak — and if he does not receive colostrum now, I fear he will not survive. The previous woman gave birth a week ago and has no colostrum left. I believe we must take the risk: newborns contract infection from sick mothers in only about a third of cases.”
Irina looked at her grandson lying in her arms. He jerked his tiny hands and feet at random — then smiled clumsily.
“God’s will be done,” she said firmly. “A child must drink his mother’s milk.”
When the alcohol-sterilized breast was offered to the baby, it turned out his mouth was too small to take the nipple. Fortunately, the other breast was smaller — and the boy latched on with determined urgency.
Holding the flesh of her flesh to her chest, feeling her son’s gentle sucking, Maria experienced a moment of pure euphoria. The terrible illness receded, making way for the overwhelming joy of motherhood.
Neither Maria nor the newborn knew of the danger of infection. They were simply following the ancient law of nature.
And Irina spent the rest of the day in prayer, asking God to spare two souls — her daughter and her grandson.
— Volodymyr Shablia, Stone. Book One


Context note:
During the Ukrainian Civil War of 1920, amid epidemics, hunger, and collapsing authority, a premature child is born into a world where survival depends on instinct, faith, and impossible choices. This moment captures motherhood and mercy standing against historical catastrophe.”
― Володимир Шабля, Камінь. Біографічний роман. Книга перша. Перші кроки до світла та назад: Дитинство та занурення в ГУЛАГ.

“If your case, as a politically repressed person, is reviewed by the Special Council, you are almost guaranteed the standard sentence: ten years in labor camps plus three years’ loss of civil rights. The Special Council delivers verdicts in batches, so it simply does not have time to examine each case in detail. But if a judicial panel hears your case—and if I, as the prosecutor, withdraw the charges—you might even be acquitted. For that, however, you would need to submit a request to be sent to the front and, if acquitted, go to war.”
“And are you prepared to withdraw the charges?” Peter asked in surprise.
“I will be frank with you,” the prosecutor replied, enunciating each word. “As a patriot of my country, I believe that in wartime young, strong, and intelligent men like you should fight the enemy—not rot in the camps. Two of my own sons are at the front fulfilling their duty to the Motherland, and I am ready to help you do the same.”
“Thank you,” Peter said firmly. “I, too, am ready to defend my country rather than remain safely in the rear.”

Context note:
Set during World War II under Stalin’s regime, this scene exposes the legal absurdity of Soviet repression, where “justice” depended less on evidence than on political expediency. Special tribunals could issue sentences in batches, while wartime necessity sometimes transformed prisoners into soldiers—revealing a system in which ideology, survival, and patriotism collided.”
― Володимир Шабля, Камінь. Біографічний роман. Книга третя. Несправджені сподівання.: Все буде Голодомор.