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The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule or the ethic of reciprocity is found in the scriptures of nearly every religion. It is often regarded as the most concise and general principle of ethics. It is a condensation in one principle of all longer lists of ordinances such as the Decalogue.

Bah�� Faith

And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, 30

Christian Faith

All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matthew 22.36-40

Muslim Faith

No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.
Hadith

Hindu Faith

This is the sum of duty: do naught to others which if done to thee would cause thee pain.
The Mahabharata

Jewish Faith

What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow men. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.
The Talmud

A certain heathen came to Shammai and said to him, Make me a proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot. Thereupon he repulsed him with the rod which was in his hand. When he went to Hillel, he said to him, What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour: that is the whole Torah; all the rest of it is commentary; go and learn.
Talmud, Shabbat 31a

Zoroastrian Faith

Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others.
Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29

Buddhist Faith

Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
Udana-Varga

The Ariyan disciple thus reflects, Here am I, fond of my life, not wanting to die, fond of pleasure and averse from pain. Suppose someone should rob me of my life... it would not be a thing pleasing and delightful to me. If I, in my turn, should rob of his life one fond of his life, not wanting to die, one fond of pleasure and averse from pain, it would not be a thing pleasing or delightful to him. For a state that is not pleasant or delightful to me must also be to him also; and a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?
      As a result of such reflection he himself abstains from taking the life of creatures and he encourages others so to abstain, and speaks in praise of so abstaining.
Samyutta Nikaya v.353

And yet some other sources sent in by readers:

Do not do unto others what angers you if done to you by others.
Isocrates 436-338 BCE

An it harm none, do what thou wilt.
Wiccan Rede

Tzu-kung asked, 'Is there a single word which can be a guide to conduct throughout one's life?' The Master said, 'It is perhaps the word shu. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'
Analects, 15.24

Refraining from doing what we blame in others.
By Thales
As quoted in Diogenes Laertius, vol. I, page 39
{submitted by Gaylen Bunker}

Summations by the author of this article did not include the following comparable statement of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, King James version, which says a bit more that what the author is representing under Christianity
It is found in the book of Matthew, Chapter 7 verse 12, and says
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Leviticus 19.18

Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.
Christianity. Bible, Matthew 7.12

Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13

A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated.
Jainism. Sutrakritanga 1.11.33

Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence.
Confucianism. Mencius VII.A.4

One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself. This is the essence of morality. All other activities are due to selfish desire.
Hinduism. Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva 113.8

Tsekung asked, Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life? Confucius replied, It is the word shu--reciprocity: Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.
Confucianism. Analects 15.23

Leviticus 19.18: Quoted by Jesus in Matthew 22.36-40. Mencius VII.A.4 and Analects 15.23: Cf. Analects 6.28.2, p. 975.

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.
Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 705

One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts.
African Traditional Religions. Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria)

One who you think should be hit is none else but you. One who you think should be governed is none else but you. One who you think should be tortured is none else but you. One who you think should be enslaved is none else but you. One who you think should be killed is none else but you. A sage is ingenuous and leads his life after comprehending the parity of the killed and the killer. Therefore, neither does he cause violence to others nor does he make others do so.
Jainism. Acarangasutra 5.101-2


If there are any similar Golden Rules in other Scriptures/Writings please do email me with any quotations, with the source information so that I can add them to this page. Any other problems with Graham's Baha'i Pages, please click here. Thanks.


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