Across the world’s religious and philosophical traditions, one teaching appears with remarkable consistency: the call to treat others as you would wish to be treated. This is often expressed as the Golden Rule. The following quotations reflect this shared ethical core.
- Ancient Egyptian (Ma’at): “That which you hate to be done to you, do not do to another.” — The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, Middle Kingdom Egypt (c. 2040–1650 BCE).
- Ancient Greek (Isocrates): “Do not do to others that which angers you when they do it to you.” — Isocrates, Nicocles 61.
- Ancient Greek (Stoicism): “What you do not wish to be done to you, do not do to anyone else.” — Epictetus, Enchiridion 33.
- Ancient Roman (Stoicism): “Treat your inferior as you would wish your superior to treat you.” — Seneca the Younger, Epistles.
- Baháʼí Faith: “Choose thou for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself.” — Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh.
- Baháʼí Faith: “Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.” — Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.
- Buddhism: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” — Udanavarga 5:18.
- Buddhism: “For a state that is not pleasant or delightful to me must also be to him; how could I inflict that upon another?” — Samyutta Nikaya v.353.
- Buddhism: “Comparing oneself to others in such terms as ‘Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I,’ he should neither kill nor cause others to kill.” — Sutta Nipata 705.
- Buddhism: “One who, while seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.” — Dhammapada 10.
- Christianity: “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. This is the meaning of the Law of Moses and the teaching of the Prophets.” — Holy Bible, Gospel of Matthew 7:12.
- Christianity: “And as you would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” — Holy Bible, Gospel of Luke 6:31.
- Christianity: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” — Holy Bible, Romans 13:9.
- Confucianism: “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.” — The Analects 15:24.
- Daoism / Taoism: “Regard your neighbor’s gain as your gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your loss.” — T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien 213–218.
- Daoism / Taoism: “Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained.” — Tao Te Ching, Chapter 49.
- Hinduism: “This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.” — Mahabharata 5:1517.
- Hinduism: “One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Other behavior is due to selfish desires.” — Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva 113.8 (Brihaspati).
- Hinduism: “Those acts that you consider good when done to you, do those to others, none else.” — Taittiriya Upanishad, Shikshavalli, Eleventh Anuvaka.
- Hinduism: “If the entire Dharma can be said in a few words, then it is—that which is unfavorable to us, do not do that to others.” — Padma Purana, Shrushti 19/357–358.
- Humanism: “Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you.” — Humanist ethical teaching.
- Islam: “None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” — An-Nawawi’s Forty Hadith 13.
- Islam: “As you would have people do to you, do to them; and what you dislike to be done to you, do not do to them.” — Kitab al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 146.
- Jainism: “One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.” — Sutrakritanga 1.11.33.
- Jainism: “A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated.” — Sutrakritanga 1.11.33.
- Jainism: “In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.” — Teachings of Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara.
- Jainism: “Just as pain is not agreeable to you, it is so with others. Knowing this principle of equality, treat others with respect and compassion.” — Suman Suttam 150.
- Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor; that is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.” — Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a.
- Judaism: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” — Torah, Leviticus 19:18.
- Judaism: “Love foreigners as you love yourselves, because you were foreigners one time in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” — Torah, Leviticus 19:34.
- Judaism: “Do to no one what you yourself dislike.” — Tobit 4:15.
- Judaism: “Recognize that your neighbor feels as you do, and keep in mind your own dislikes.” — Sirach 31:15.
- Manichaeism: “What you do to others, you do to yourself.” — Kephalaia of the Teacher 85.
- Native American / First Nations Spirituality: “Do not wrong or hate your neighbor. For it is not he whom you wrong, but yourself.” — Pima proverb.
- Native American / First Nations Spirituality: “All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One.” — Teaching attributed to Black Elk.
- Rastafarianism: “Do good unto others, for what you do to others will come back upon you.” — Rastafari ethical teaching.
- Sabeanism (Mandaeanism): “Be careful; make inquiry, display kindness, show compassion on others as with thyself.” — Ginza Rba.
- Shinto: “The heart of the person before you is a mirror; see there your own form.” — Ko-ji-ki (Hachiman Kasuga).
- Sikhism: “Precious like jewels are the minds of all. To hurt them is not at all good. If thou desirest thy Beloved, then hurt thou not anyone’s heart.” — Guru Granth Sahib, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, p.259.
- Sikhism: “I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.” — Guru Granth Sahib p.1299.
- Sufism: “If you haven’t the will to gladden someone’s heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone’s heart.” — Sufi ethical teaching (Nimatullahi tradition).
- Tamil Tradition (Tirukkural): “Do not do to others what you know has hurt yourself.” — Tirukkural, Kural 316.
- Unitarian Universalism: “We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” — Unitarian Universalist Principles, First Principle.
- Wicca: “That which ye deem harmful unto thyself, the very same shall ye be forbidden from doing unto another.” — The Book of Ways, Devotional Wicca.
- Yoruba Religion: “One who is good to others is good to himself.” — Odu Ifá, Oyeku Meji.
- Zoroastrianism: “Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.” — Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29.
- Zoroastrianism: “Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others.” — Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29.
- Zoroastrianism: “That nature alone is good which refrains from doing to another whatsoever is not good for itself.” — Dadisten-i-dinik 94:5.