Welcome to our collection of obedience quotes, where we delve into the profound insights and perspectives surrounding the concept of obedience. Obedience, often viewed as the act of complying with authority or rules, is a fundamental aspect of human behavior that has been examined and reflected upon by philosophers, psychologists, and leaders throughout history. Whether discussing obedience to societal norms, moral principles, or authoritative figures, these quotes offer thought-provoking insights into the nature of obedience and its implications on individual and collective actions.
From ancient philosophical ponderings to modern psychological studies, the quotes gathered here explore the complexities and nuances of obedience. Some may celebrate the virtues of obedience, praising it as a cornerstone of order and harmony in society. Others may scrutinize its potential pitfalls, warning against blind obedience that may lead to oppression or injustice. Regardless of the perspective, each quote invites us to contemplate the balance between obedience and critical thinking, and the role it plays in shaping our relationships, institutions, and worldviews. Without further ado, let us delve into the rich tapestry of thoughts and reflections on obedience.
Any number of scoundrels, having money enough to start with, can establish themselves as a ‘government’; because, with money, they can hire soldiers, and with soldiers extort more money; and also compel general obedience to their will. Lysander Spooner
When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power. Ezra Taft Benson
I can assure the Marquis de Chasteler that it is my unalterable determination never to set foot on any territory which acknowledges obedience to His Majesty the King of Bohemia and Hungary. Marquis de Lafayette
Obedience is an act of faith; disobedience is the result of unbelief. Edwin Louis Cole
Obedience keeps the rules. Love knows when to break them. Anthony de Mello
For women, Neo-Confucianism placed extra emphasis on chastity, obedience, and diligence. A good wife should have no desire other than to serve her husband, no ambition other than to produce a son, and no interest beyond subjugating herself to her husband’s family – meaning, among other things, she must never remarry if widowed. Amanda Foreman
Strength was the virtue of paganism; obedience is the virtue of Christianity. David Hare
If physical power be the fountain of law, then law and force are synonymous terms. Or, perhaps, rather, law would be the result of a combination of will and force; of will, united with a physical power sufficient to compel obedience to it, but not necessarily having any moral character whatever. Lysander Spooner
Grades don’t measure anything other than your relevant obedience to a manager. John Taylor Gatto
Let not those who say that the path of obedience is a dangerous one claim to believe in the living and true God. They deny his omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence. It is his will that the bands of wickedness should be loosed, the heavy burdens of tyranny undone, the oppressed set free. William Lloyd Garrison
Crystals grew inside rock like arithmetic flowers. They lengthened and spread, added plane to plane in an awed and perfect obedience to an absolute geometry that even stones – maybe only the stones – understood. Annie Dillard
Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. William Penn
One of the first duties of a Scout is obedience to authority. He must obey his orders in the first place and put his own amusement or desires in the second. Robert Baden-Powell
Two kinds of men generally best succeed in political life; men of no principle, but of great talent; and men of no talent, but of one principle – that of obedience to their superiors. Wendell Phillips
If you tell God no because He won’t explain the reason He wants you to do something, you are actually hindering His blessing. But when you say yes to Him, all of heaven opens to pour out His goodness and reward your obedience. What matters more than material blessings are the things He is teaching us in our spirit. Charles Stanley
What we call ‘morals’ is simply blind obedience to words of command. Havelock Ellis
The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience. Orson F. Whitney
I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old Revolutionary maxim. Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God. Susan B. Anthony
He who aims at making an entire and perfect oblation of himself, in addition to his will, must offer his understanding, which is a further and the highest degree of obedience. Saint Ignatius
Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience. Mary Wollstonecraft
Conversion is an enlarging, a deepening, and a broadening of the undergirding base of testimony. It is the result of revelation from God, accompanied by individual repentance, obedience, and diligence. David A. Bednar
The drill instructor must have total and complete control. Mindless obedience is what he’s after. R. Lee Ermey
Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media. Noam Chomsky
International affairs is very much run like the mafia. The godfather does not accept disobedience, even from a small storekeeper who doesn’t pay his protection money. You have to have obedience; otherwise, the idea can spread that you don’t have to listen to the orders, and it can spread to important places. Noam Chomsky
When obedience to the Divine precepts keeps pace with knowledge, in the mind of any man, that man is a Christian; and when the fruits of Christianity are produced, that man is a disciple of our blessed Lord, let his profession of religion be what it may. Joseph Lancaster
Anticipatory obedience teaches authorities what is possible and accelerates unfreedom. Timothy D. Snyder
Many think that the price of discipleship is too costly and too burdensome. For some, it involves giving up too much. But the cross is not as heavy as it appears to be. Through obedience, we acquire much greater strength to carry it. James E. Faust
God revealed himself through the Law, which pointed to Christ as its end and goal, commanded the obedience that comes from faith, increased transgressions, and shut the mouths of all humans because no one has performed the righteousness of the Law so as not to need a substitute. John Piper
There was a time when we expected nothing of our children but obedience, as opposed to the present, when we expect everything of them but obedience. Anatole Broyard
The name of Jesus, like a secret charm, awakened similar emotions in the hearts of all the converts, and called immediately into action every feeling of moral loveliness, and every desire of dutiful obedience, which constitute Christian purity. John Strachan
You see that even the enemy did not dare to declare war against us till they had seized our generals, for they were sensible that, while we had commanders and yielded obedience to them, we were able to conquer them; but, having seized our commanders, they concluded that we should, from a want of command and discipline, be destroyed. Xenophon
I have thought about it a great deal, and the more I think, the more certain I am that obedience is the gateway through which knowledge, yes, and love, too, enter the mind of the child. Anne Sullivan
There are hunters, and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience, and alertness, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim. Jim Mattis
Religions work for their own aggrandizement – strengthen the church and so on – and they use reinforcers of one kind or another to get obedience and so on from their communicants. B. F. Skinner
Obedience brings success; exact obedience brings miracles. Russell M. Nelson
The great test of life is obedience to God. Ezra Taft Benson
Force does not constitute right… obedience is due only to legitimate powers. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
This idea of the transcendent power of the Supreme Being is essentially connected with that by which the whole duty of man is summed up: obedience to His will. John Quincy Adams
Better than worshiping gods is obedience to the laws of righteousness. Buddha
Christians must share their faith in obedience to the Great Commission, because we are only seeing the fruit of sin this side of death. Ray Comfort
If men would as fervently seek after love and righteousness as they do after opinions, there would be no strife on earth, and we should be as children of one father, and should need no law or ordinance. For God is not served by any law, but only by obedience. Jakob Bohme
Obedience to the law of chastity will increase our happiness in mortality and make possible our progress in eternity. David A. Bednar
One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons. Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A great work is made out of a combination of obedience and liberty. Nadia Boulanger
Satan cannot win. Why not? Because he has denied God’s sovereignty and disobeyed God’s law. But Moses was told explicitly, God’s blessings come only from obedience. Satan will not win because he has abandoned God’s tool of dominion, biblical law. Gary North
The bottom line in the Christian life is obedience and most people don’t even like the word. Charles Stanley
The only positive finding which could be drawn from the first series, was the conclusion that the relationships obviously had a more complicated lay-out than had been thought, for the effects were so varied that no obedience to any law could be discovered. Walter Rudolf Hess
Obedience is the fruit of faith. Christina Rossetti
Obedience is detachment from the self. This is the most radical detachment of all. But what is the self? The self is the principle of reason and responsibility in us. It is the root of freedom, it is what makes us men. Bede Griffiths
What is a Rechtsstaat? It is obedience to the existing law. Vladimir Putin
Fidelity and allegiance sworn to the King is only such a fidelity and obedience as is due to him by the law of the land; for were that faith and allegiance more than what the law requires, we would swear ourselves slaves and the King absolute; whereas, by the law, we are free men, notwithstanding those oaths. Isaac Newton
Various are the pleas and arguments which men of corrupt minds frequently urge against yielding obedience to the just and holy commands of God. George Whitefield
Fits did not go over well in my house. There was a lot of discipline and obedience and you had to be very ladylike. Ladies didn’t curse and I still don’t curse in front of my parents. Daisy Fuentes
To rest satisfied with existing evils, as if we could do nothing, is not obedience; but neither is it obedience to imitate the actions of the apostles. John Nelson Darby
Parents learn the uses of power and its limits. They can insist on certain outward behavior but cannot change inner attitudes. They can require obedience but not goodness – and certainly not love. Philip Yancey
Above all, remember that God looks for solid virtues in us, such as patience, humility, obedience, abnegation of your own will – that is, the good will to serve Him and our neighbor in Him. His providence allows us other devotions only insofar as He sees that they are useful to us. Saint Ignatius
Do Christians sin? Yes, absolutely. But can Christians live in a state of sin without discipline and without being brought back in obedience to their Father? Absolutely not. Paul Washer
Obedience to the word in humility of mind never confuses. John Nelson Darby
If all Church power vests in the clergy, then the people are practically bound to passive obedience in all matters of faith and practice; for all right of private judgment is then denied. Charles Hodge
After the knowledge of, and obedience to, the will of God, the next aim must be to know something of His attributes of wisdom, power, and goodness as evidenced by His handiwork. James Prescott Joule
Through the grace of Christ we shall live in obedience to the law of God written upon our hearts. Having the Spirit of Christ, we shall walk even as He walked. Ellen G. White
God’s promises are all on condition of humble obedience. Ellen G. White
Some of us live a Christian life as if we’re always under the stern, watchful eye of our Father and he is very impossible to please… No, God delights even in our heartfelt attempts at obedience. Kevin DeYoung
I don’t see success as the goal. Obedience is the goal. Jerry B. Jenkins
With faith and obedience practiced long enough, the Holy Ghost becomes a constant companion, our natures change, and endurance becomes certain. Henry B. Eyring
A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down. Robert Benchley
Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character. Robert E. Lee
All religions have based morality on obedience, that is to say, on voluntary slavery. That is why they have always been more pernicious than any political organization. For the latter makes use of violence, the former – of the corruption of the will. Alexander Herzen
Woe to him that claims obedience when it is not due; woe to him that refuses it when it is. Thomas Carlyle
Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God. Benjamin Franklin
While salvation is a free gift, the ‘winning Christ’ can only be through unreserved consecration and unquestioning obedience. Nor is this a hardship, but the highest privilege. Hudson Taylor
I have accordingly considered it, and now appear not only in obedience to your order, but likewise in behalf of the inhabitants of this town, who have presented another petition, and out of regard to the liberties of the subject. James Otis
If men make war in slavish obedience to rules, they will fail. Ulysses S. Grant
Obedience is the primary object of all sound education. Elizabeth Missing Sewell
The Nazi period could have happened only in Germany because the German education of obedience to any law and order was the main problem. Heinrich Boll
Justice is the insurance which we have on our lives and property. Obedience is the premium which we pay for it. William Penn
The doctrine of blind obedience and unqualified submission to any human power, whether civil or ecclesiastical, is the doctrine of despotism, and ought to have no place among Republicans and Christians. Angelina Grimke
Simple honesty of purpose in a man goes a long way in life, if founded on a just estimate of himself and a steady obedience to the rule he knows and feels to be right. Samuel Smiles
Punishment may make us obey the orders we are given, but at best it will only teach an obedience to authority, not a self-control which enhances our self-respect. Bruno Bettelheim
It is a great delusion in those whose understanding has been darkened by self-love, to think that there is any obedience in the subject who tries to draw the superior to what he wishes. Saint Ignatius
One misconception is that if we follow God in the life of faith, and that means obedience – that we read His Word, we’re obedient, we pray, we go to church, we do the right things – that somehow His blessing means we’re going to be okay. Anne Graham Lotz
The world calls for, and expects from us, simplicity of life, the spirit of prayer, charity towards all, especially towards the lowly and the poor, obedience and humility, detachment, and self-sacrifice. Without this mark of holiness, our word will have difficulty in touching the heart of modern man. Pope Paul VI
In a sense, all of my books have been about a ‘poisonous pedagogy,’ which engenders a culture of obedience, this underlying theme of patriarchal systems. John Bradshaw
Obedience of the law is demanded; not asked as a favor. Theodore Roosevelt
It is with obedience to your call that I take up the burden of government leadership for the final time. Kamisese Mara
The first Law of Heaven is obedience, and it should be the first law of every home. It is the foundation of an orderly home, a successful family, and the successful lives of the children. The wife is the key. Helen Andelin
I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible. Saint Teresa of Avila
Traditional Islam is a mixture of all obedience to Allah, and if that requires militancy, so be it. Deepak Chopra
We must become a people who are in submission, that is, submitted completely to the mission of the Church, ‘in statu missionis.’ Thus, living fully within the mainstream of grace, under the mantle of God’s divine authority, and by uniting ourselves to the obedience of Christ on the cross, we participate in the reversal of Adam’s sin. Michael O’Brien
Lord sanctify us. Oh! That Thy spirit might come and saturate every faculty, subdue every passion, and use every power of our nature for obedience to God. Charles Spurgeon
I was successful materially, but I know life is much more than worldly success. I saw all these blessings God had given me. The way to give thanks is obedience to God. Hakeem Olajuwon
Although the whole man partakes of this grace, it is first and most appropriately in the soul and later progresses to the body, inasmuch as the body of the man is capable of the same obedience to the will of God as the soul. William Ames
If God creates a world of particles and waves, dancing in obedience to mathematical and physical laws, who are we to say that he cannot make use of those laws to cover the surface of a small planet with living creatures? Martin Gardner
Obedience opens the door to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. And the spiritual gifts and abilities activated by the power of the Holy Ghost enable us to avoid deception – and to see, to feel, to know, to understand, and to remember things as they really are. David A. Bednar
Obedience to God is the pathway to the life you really want to live. Joyce Meyer
Obedience is the mother of success and is wedded to safety. Aeschylus
The Hungarian ministry begged the king earnestly to issue orders to all troops and commanders of fortresses in Hungary, enjoining fidelity to the Constitution, and obedience to the ministers of Hungary. Lajos Kossuth
Sometimes this going out in obedience to God’s command is more dramatic than at other times… sometimes more spectacular… sometimes more brave… but always it is a venture into the unknown. Peter Marshall
The virtue of paganism was strength; the virtue of Christianity is obedience. Augustus Hare
Prayer is good: but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is naught but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism. Charles Studd
