Ten Commandments Quotes

“If you think that it would be impossible to improve upon the Ten Commandments as a statement of morality, you really owe it to yourself to read some other scriptures. Once again, we need look no further than the Jains: Mahavira, the Jain patriarch, surpassed the morality of the Bible with a single sentence: 'Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being.' Imagine how different our world might be if the Bible contained this as its central precept. Christians have abused, oppressed, enslaved, insulted, tormented, tortured, and killed people in the name of God for centuries, on the basis of a theologically defensible reading of the Bible.”
― Sam Harris, Letter to a Christian Nation

“I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.”
― Ronald Regan

“Some Christian lawyers—some eminent and stupid judges—have said and still say, that the Ten Commandments are the foundation of all law.

Nothing could be more absurd. Long before these commandments were given there were codes of laws in India and Egypt—laws against murder, perjury, larceny, adultery and fraud. Such laws are as old as human society; as old as the love of life; as old as industry; as the idea of prosperity; as old as human love.

All of the Ten Commandments that are good were old; all that were new are foolish. If Jehovah had been civilized he would have left out the commandment about keeping the Sabbath, and in its place would have said: 'Thou shalt not enslave thy fellow-men.' He would have omitted the one about swearing, and said: 'The man shall have but one wife, and the woman but one husband.' He would have left out the one about graven images, and in its stead would have said: 'Thou shalt not wage wars of extermination, and thou shalt not unsheathe the sword except in self-defence.'

If Jehovah had been civilized, how much grander the Ten Commandments would have been.

All that we call progress—the enfranchisement of man, of labor, the substitution of imprisonment for death, of fine for imprisonment, the destruction of polygamy, the establishing of free speech, of the rights of conscience; in short, all that has tended to the development and civilization of man; all the results of investigation, observation, experience and free thought; all that man has accomplished for the benefit of man since the close of the Dark Ages—has been done in spite of the Old Testament.”
― Robert G Ingersoll, About The Holy Bible

“I don't remember Moses writing, 'Thou shalt not kill.. unless you think you have a good reason.”
― Willie Nelson, The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart, Library Edition

“How come there's no commandment that says "Thou shalt not rape"? Did God ask Mary for consent before he put a baby in her? Or was God Christianity's first rapist?”
― Oliver Markus Malloy, Inside The Mind of an Introvert: Comics, Deep Thoughts and Quotable Quotes

“Love of God," he said slowly, searching for words, "is not always
the same as love of good, I wish it were that simple. We know what
is good, it is written in the Commandments. But God is not
contained only in the Commandments, you know; they are only an
infinitesimal part of Him. A man may abide by the Commandments
and be far from God.”
― Hermann Hesse

“On my journey from the fantastical to the practical, spirituality has gone from being a mystical experience to something very ordinary and a daily experience. Many don’t want this, instead they prefer spiritual grandeur, and I believe that is what keeps enlightenment at bay. We want big revelations of complexity that validates our perceptions of the divine. What a let down it was to Moses when God spoke through a burning bush! But that is exactly the simplicity of it all. Our spiritual life is our ordinary life and it is very grounded in every day experience. For me, it is the daily practice of kindness, mindfulness, happiness, and peace.”
― Alaric Hutchinson

“The forbiddenness of a fruit makes even the taste of a lemon sweet.”
― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

“Sabato ilianzishwa na Mungu siku ya saba ya uumbaji wake. Siku ya Sabato ni siku takatifu, iliyoko katika Amri Kumi za Mungu, ambayo hatuna budi kuitunza na kuiheshimu. Sheria ya Siku ya Sabato haikufa baada ya kifo cha Yesu Kristo msalabani kama Wakolosai wanavyodai. Wakolosai walifuata falsafa za kipagani, na walizileta falsafa hizo ndani ya mwili wa Kristo ambalo ni kanisa. ‘Usiiamini’ Wakolosai 2:17. Iamini Wakolosai 2:20-23, ambapo Paulo anafundisha Mataifa jinsi ya kuitunza Sabato, na 1 Wakorintho 12:27 ambayo inatoa maana halisi ya Wakolosai 2:17. ‘Mwili wako ni wa Kristo’ ni tofauti na ‘mwili wa Kristo’ na ni tofauti na kanisa. Ukiamini kama mwili wako ni wa Kristo na ni kanisa, utaitunza Sabato.”
― Enock Maregesi

“There’s a certain authority to that number. Ten.”
― A.D. Aliwat, In Limbo

“Als ein Schriftgelehrter Jesus einmal fragte, […]was nach seiner Meinung das grüßte Gebot im Gesetz sei, sagte er, es sei die Liebe zu Gott. Das zweite Gebot, man solle seinen Nächsten genauso lieben wie sich selbst, sei jedoch dem ersten gleich. Offenbar ging er davon aus, dass jeder sich selbst liebt; Menschenkenntnis war nicht gerade seine Stärke. In dieser Hinsicht mußte man erst noch auf den Juden aus Wien warten. Wer sich selbst nicht liebte oder gar hasste, durfte also dem zweiten ‚Wort’ zufolge auch seine Mitmenschen hassen, man durfte morden, wenn man dann auch Selbstmord verübte wie Judas oder Hitler. Von der Hölle hatte Jesus offenbar keine Ahnung, aber das war eigentlich klar: schließlich war er ein Wesen, das Gott liebte wie sich selbst. Aber der Kern seiner Antwort lag im Ist-Gleich-Zeichen, das er zwischen die fünf Gebote auf der einen und die fünf auf der anderen Tafel setzte; eines Tages formulierte er sogar eine positive Version der Goldenen Regel: ‚Was Du willst, das man dir tu, das füge auch dem andern zu, denn das ist das Gesetz und die Propheten.”
― Harry Mulisch, The Discovery of Heaven

“Thus, we knew at the onset of the sexual revolution back in 1968 that this day of disease and promiscuity would come. It is here, and what we do with our situation will determine how much we and our children will suffer in the future. God created the moral basis for the universe before He made the heavens and the earth. His concept of right and wrong was not an afterthought that came along with the Ten Commandments. No, it was an expression of God’s divine nature and was in force before “the beginning.”
― James C. Dobson, Life on the Edge: The Next Generation's Guide to a Meaningful Future

“The Hebrew original does not say, ‘Do not kill.’ It says, ‘Do not murder.’ Both Hebrew and English have two words for taking a life — one is ‘kill’ (harag, in Hebrew) and the other is ‘murder’ (ratzach in Hebrew).”
― Dennis Prager, A Dark Time in America

“The next time you hear someone cite, ‘Do not kill’ when quoting the sixth commandment, gently but firmly explain that it actually says, ‘Do not murder.”
― Dennis Prager, A Dark Time in America

“The Hebrew original does not say, ‘Do not kill.’ It says, ‘Do not murder.’ Both Hebrew and English have two words for taking a life—one is “kill” (harag, , in Hebrew) and the other is “murder” (ratsach, , in Hebrew). Kill means: 1.Taking any life—whether of a human being or an animal. 2.Taking a human life deliberately or by accident. 3.Taking a human life legally or illegally, morally or immorally. On the other hand, murder can only mean one thing: The illegal or immoral taking of a human life. That’s why we say, ‘I killed a mosquito,’ not ‘I murdered a mosquito.’ And that’s why we would say, ‘The worker was accidentally killed,’ not ‘The worker was accidentally murdered.”
― Dennis Prager, The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code

“So why did the King James translation of the Bible use the word ‘kill’ rather than ‘murder’? Because four hundred years ago when the translation was made, ‘kill’ was synonymous with ‘murder.’ As a result, some people don’t realize that English has changed since 1610 and therefore think that the Ten Commandments prohibit all killing. But, of course, they don’t. If the Ten Commandments forbade killing, we would all have to be vegetarians—killing animals would be prohibited. And we would all have to be pacifists—since we could not kill even in self-defense.”
― Dennis Prager, The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code

“It wasn't uncommon to hear rationalizations of this sort--the longing to transform bad deeds into good ones. No one ever wanted to hear that God didn't work that way; the Lord would never want a young woman to trade her body to follow a commandment. Sins couldn't be laundered by good results.”
― Min Jin Lee, Pachinko

“Do not swallow your moral code in tablet form.”
― Christopher Hitchens

“Nini kingetokea kama Adamu na Hawa wasingekula tunda la Mti wa Maarifa ya Mema na Mabaya mpaka siku ya Sabato? Mungu angewaruhusu kula na lengo la uumbaji wa Mungu lingekamilika. Wanadamu wakifuata Amri Kumi za Mungu katika maisha yao watakuwa na uwezo maalumu ambao baadaye utawawezesha, kupitia Roho Mtakatifu, kuwa na maarifa ya siri ya uumbaji wa Mungu.”
― Enock Maregesi

“Thou shalt have one God only; who
Would be at the expense of two?
No graven images may be
Worshipped, except the currency:
Swear not at all; for, for thy curse
Thine enemy is none the worse:
At church on Sunday to attend
Will serve to keep the world thy friend:
Honour thy parents; that is all
From whom advancement may befall:
Thou shalt not kill; but need'st not strive
Officiously to keep alive:
Do not adultery commit;
Advantage rarely comes of it:
Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat,
When it's so lucrative to cheat:
Bear not false witness; let the lie
Have time on its own wings to fly:
Thou shalt not covet, but tradition
Approves all forms of competition.”
― Arthur Hugh Clough

“I am not a titleholder; I don't steal; I don't lie...”
― Ljupka Cvetanova, The New Land

“Hakimu na Kuhani Mkuu wa Shilo Eli alipata matatizo makubwa wakati wa mgogoro wa Waisraeli na Wafilisti, kati ya mwaka 2871 na 2870 Kabla ya Kristo. Mara tu baada ya kupewa taarifa ya kifo cha watoto wake wawili, Hofni na Finehasi, na kutwaliwa kwa Sanduku la Agano la Bwana wa Majeshi lililohifadhi Amri Kumi za Mungu, Eli alianguka kutoka katika kiti chake na kufariki papo hapo akiwa na umri wa miaka 98. Aidha, mkwe wa Eli, mke wa Finehasi, alijifungua ghafla na kufariki alipopata taarifa ya kifo cha mkwewe na taarifa ya kuuwawa kwa mumewe na ya kutekwa nyara kwa Sanduku la Agano.

Mwanajeshi kutoka Benyamini falaula angetumia hekima na busara kutoa taarifa ya kifo na ya kutwaliwa kwa Sanduku la Agano huenda Eli asingefariki, na huenda mkwewe asingejifungua mtoto njiti na huenda asingekufa siku hiyo. Kwani Sanduku la Agano lilirejeshwa nchini Israeli, na Wafilisti wenyewe, baada ya miezi saba tangu litwaliwe, na kifo cha watoto wa Eli yalikuwa mapenzi ya Mungu. Hivyo Eli asingeweza kuzuia kifo cha watoto wake, na Wafilisti wasingeweza kukaa na Sanduku la Agano milele.

Lakini katika kafara ya Isaka ambapo Isaka aliamua kujitoa kafara mwenyewe kumfurahisha Mungu na baba yake kama Yesu alivyoamua kujitoa kafara mwenyewe kumfurahisha Mungu na baba yake wa mbinguni, Sara angekufa kama Ibrahimu hangetumia hekima alipomwambia anakwenda kumtolea Bwana kafara ya mwanakondoo wakati akijua anakwenda kumtoa Isaka mtoto wa pekee wa Sara. Hekima inatoka moyoni, busara inatoka mdomoni. Kwa vile suala la kutoa taarifa mbaya kwa mtu ni gumu kwa yule anayetoa na kwa yule anayepokea, hekima na busara havina budi kutumika.”
― Enock Maregesi

“The only good understanding is to obey the God's commandment.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita

“Ufalme wa mbinguni uko juu. Akili ya binadamu iko juu. Kupata Amri Kumi za Mungu, Musa alipanda juu katika mlima Sinai. Yesu alijaribiwa na Shetani akiwa juu katika jangwa la Yuda. Ukifanikiwa tunasema uko juu. Tai hawezi kuona vizuri akiwa chini anaweza kuona vizuri akiwa juu. Ulaya na Amerika tunaita majuu kwa sababu ziko juu ya ikweta. Kwa nini juu? Kwa sababu juu kuna utukufu.”
― Enock Maregesi

“A time will come in human history when human beings will follow the Ten Commandments and so on as regularly as they fall to the ground when they step off a roof. They will then be more astonished that someone would lie or steal or covet than they now are when someone will not. The law of God will then be written in their hearts as the prophets foretold. (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 10:16) This is an essential part of the future triumph of Christ and the deliverance of humankind in history and beyond.”
― Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy Bible Study Participant's Guide: Jesus' Master Class for Life

“Do you know the Ten Commandments?" Grandma Trudie asked me. I nodded my head. Of course I knew the commandments God gave the Israelites at Sinai. I knew them by heart and in order.
"What is commandment number six?"
"Thou shalt not kill," I answered proudly.
"Very good," Grandma Trudie said. "Then you will understand when I say that six million Jews were killed because the Nazis believed in their leader, Adolf Hitler, before anything else. When a human being is given the power to decide what is good and what is evil, the world is in chaos—crazy. Hitler said that certain people were not worthy of life, and his followers obeyed his orders without question. The Nazis showed us what kind of world we have when the Ten Commandments, God's laws, are disregarded.”
― Jacqueline Jules, The Grey Striped Shirt: How Grandma and Grandpa Survived the Holocaust

“You give us long enough to argue over something and we will bring you in proofs to show that the Ten Commandments should never be ratified.”
― Will Rogers, Will Rogers Says...Favorite Quotations

“Jut as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit so to safeguard the value of human life, so today, we also have to say, 'Thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality which idolizes money.”
― Jonathan Pryce - Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio

“Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit so to safeguard the value of human life, so today, we also have to say, 'Thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality which idolizes money.”
― Jonathan Pryce - Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio

“Is Jesus adding to the law by broadening our attention from murder to anger and contempt? By no means. He is pointing out the seedling that grows into the thorny vine that chokes out life. He is appealing to us to fastidiously weed the garden of our personal holiness. He is teaching that if every person dealt with anger quickly and rightly, there would be no need for the sixth word at all (p. 94).”
― Jen Wilkin, Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands