Madam Secretary2014

Henry McCord:
[During a televised interview, responding to a caller's question about Stevie's relationship with the President's son] You ask an interesting question, Jeff. And I'd like to start by making a distinction that I usually make on the very first day of my morals and ethics class. A lot of people say that morals are how we treat the people we know, and ethics are how we treat the people we don't know. So, morals are what make us a good parent, a good friend, a nice neighbor. But, ethics are how we build a society. That's the *true* test of our higher self. But, what happens, Jeff, when society is ruled by the subjective morals of say, you and your family, and you choose to project that onto complete strangers is that we all end up with is a society that's governed by self-aggrandizement. So, really, by calling to make sure you're the first little peasant to jump off your chair and teach me a lesson with smug superiority about your own particular moral point of view when you know precisely nothing of the situation, you've done your part to contribute to the erosion of our entire social fabric. Pat yourself on the back. Bravo.