What is your interpretation of this quote by Thomas Jefferson?

Question

"A regard for reputation and the judgment of the world may sometimes be felt where conscience is dormant."

Answer 1

If your conscience fails to check bad behavior, then possibly a concern for what others think of you will cause you to do the right thing.

Answer 2

I have no idea what all that means. I kind of understand the first part. I know Thomas Jefferson was a wise man but he also talked a lot of double talk and was not a friend to the natives that were here before him.

I had to think about for a minute. It sounds like he's saying that if a man is really concerned about what society thinks of him, he won't listen to his conscience. Hmmmm... That sounds like some good advice that he should have taken. Or maybe it was an excuse he was offering to the "Indians".

Answer 3

A regard for reputation and the judgment of the world may sometimes be felt where conscience is dormant."

'Where our conscience is dormant' is the uncivilized base instinctual part of ourselves that feels, is impuslive, reacts, and never thinks. From which our mind turns off and our primordial self protects our reputation vehemently, with no thought or regard for that outside our selves. We who squelch from others their light in our jealousy, vengence, ignorance and pain. Where we are alone, untrusting, disassociated, separated from oneness. That world out there we judge harshly to shield ourselves. To feel a part of the tribe we separate us from them. Sometimes though there is clarity, sense of being, light, love...and our concience is alive. It is not always dormant.

Answer 4

sometimes when there are things that you don't really mind when you are doing right or wrong, realization comes when reputation slaps your back or judgement from friends or from the world suddenly wakes you up.
there are things that we do, unaware that the world sees these in different ways. for example, someone sings because of boredom or just for expressing her emotions, her singing unknowingly attracts other people's attention, she doesn't know this not until someone tells her, " hey why don't you join the contests I heard you sing well".....then that is only the time that she/he realizes that she has it....
or one has a mannerism but is not aware of.... everyone sees this and the person only realizes the presence of her mannerism when it is called to her attention.....
someone may be acting like a flirt but is not aware of it.... when someone calls her attention or tells their observation that she is a flirt... then and there does she realize the truth or then can change or be defensive of the consequences of her actions

Answer 5

I believe it stands for integrity. The reputation that a person holds and the judgement comes from the world that views that person and when they come to a conscience decision on how they are being viewed at the time....

Answer 6

If you're making a decision, and you can't tell if it's a good or a bad one, try to decide how it would be seen by other people and how it would affect your reputation?

Answer 7

It means that a person without a conscience (empathy, compassion) is likely to be egotistical and only concerned with what people think about them and judging others!

Answer 8

What he is saying is that a person without a conscience will be swayed more by what people think than what is right.

Answer 9

It means that if you ever start to care
about what other people say about you
enough to where you feel it's ruining
your reputation, then you should re-evaluate
your thinking.

In other words, what others say shouldn't
matter if you're smart enough to realize it.

Answer 10

when a person is unsure of whether or not what he/she is about to do is right or wrong, what others may think of you and how others may see you as a person could help influence your decision to proceed with or forego an action.