Lawrence Kohlberg

"We respect those who have developed morally because they have transcended selfishness and conventional thinking."

"The capacity for moral reasoning is part of our human nature, waiting to be developed."

"Moral development is aided by experiences of justice and fairness, and hindered by experiences of injustice and hypocrisy."

"The question 'What should I do?' is the fundamental moral question, and how we answer it reveals our stage of development."

"Justice requires us to balance our own needs with those of others, and ultimately to subordinate purely personal interest to fairness."

"Moral growth requires intellectual honesty; we must be willing to question our cherished assumptions."

"The stages of moral development are not cultural inventions but universal patterns in how human reasoning about fairness develops."

"To educate for moral development, we must create communities where fairness is practiced and justice is discussed."

"Moral maturity is shown not in grand gestures but in the daily choices to be fair and to consider others' perspectives."

"The person at the highest stage of moral development sees justice not as a burden but as a way of being fully human."

"Moral development is thwarted by authoritarianism and advanced by genuine participation in decisions that affect one's life."

"We underestimate the moral reasoning of which people are capable when we patronize them or fail to engage them in genuine dialogue about justice."

"The stages of moral development are like stages in cognitive development; people naturally progress through them when conditions are right."

"Moral development is the process of becoming truly civilized, of learning to live justly with others."

"Justice is not something imposed from above but something we discover through reasoning and dialogue."

"The highest stage of moral development is characterized not by blind obedience but by autonomous moral reasoning."

"Moral dilemmas are not problems to be solved but opportunities for growth."

"We become moral when we stop asking 'What can I get away with?' and start asking 'What is fair?'"

"True moral education produces not obedient children but thinking adults capable of moral reasoning."

"Moral development theory suggests that human beings have an inherent drive toward justice and fairness."

"Justice at the highest level is not narrowly self-interested but cosmopolitan, concerned with fairness for all."

"The study of moral development reveals that people are not fundamentally selfish; they have the capacity to care deeply about justice and fairness."

"Moral growth requires that we encounter perspectives different from our own and grapple with them seriously."

"The person who has truly developed morally is not constrained by rules but guided by a deep commitment to justice."

"Moral development is the path from egocentrism to truly considering the good of all."

"Justice requires us to see the humanity in those with whom we disagree and to seek understanding."

"The stages of moral development help us understand not just why people act as they do, but why they believe what they believe to be right."

"Moral development is blocked when people are treated as less than fully human; it flourishes when all are respected."

"The ultimate aim of moral development is not to follow rules but to act justly from our deepest convictions."

"Moral reasoning is not a luxury but essential to living a fully human life and creating a just society."