What does each of the following quotations mean to you? (a) “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right to do.” – Potter Stewart (b) “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel that there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are father, mother and teacher.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (c) “Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.” – Dalai Lama

(a) Potter Stewart on ethics

Ethics begins where legal permission ends. Many acts are lawful yet wrong: a civil servant may legally accept a costly gift, but propriety forbids it. The quote demands the moral discretion to choose what is right over what is merely allowed, as when an officer declines a legal loophole that harms the public interest.

(b) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on father, mother and teacher

Values are transmitted before they are legislated. Parents model honesty and empathy; teachers shape reasoning and civic character. A corruption-free "nation of beautiful minds" is built in homes and classrooms, not only in courts. The quote locates the roots of integrity in early socialisation.

(c) Dalai Lama on success

Success carries an opportunity cost. If ambition is won by sacrificing family, health or honesty, the gain is hollow. The quote urges us to measure achievement against the values surrendered for it — a caution against unethical shortcuts.

Together the three anchor ethical conduct in conscience, upbringing and self-restraint.