History Quotes / HonorBeforeReason

[[folder:Film--Animation]]

[[folder:Film--Live-Action]]

->'''Optimus Primal:''' What are you doing? You'd won.\\
'''[[NobleDemon Dinobot]]:''' You slipped. To defeat you in such a manner would be lacking in honor. I would not have earned the right to lead. I prefer to beat my enemies the old-fashioned way: '''[[BloodKnight BRUTALLY!]]'''

-->-- ''Manga/{{InuYasha}}''

->'''Uhura:''' (''in comm system'') I've found Chekov, sir. They're taking him to emergency surgery right now.
->'''Kirk:''' Uhura, where?
->'''Uhura:''' Mercy Hospital.
->'''Kirk:''' Mercy Hospital?
->'''Gillian:''' That's in the Mission District.
->'''Uhura:''' They report his condition as critical. He is not expected to survive.
->'''[=McCoy=]:''' Jim, you've got to let me go in there! Don't leave him in the hands of 20th century medicine.
->'''Spock:''' Admiral, may I suggest that Dr. [=McCoy=] is correct. [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind We must help Chekov]].
->'''Kirk:''' Is that the logical thing to do, Spock?
->'''Spock:''' No, but it is the human thing to do.

->Every virtue tends towards stupidity, every stupidity towards virtue; "stupid to the point of saintliness," they say in Russia.
-->-- ''Beyond Good and Evil'', by Creator/FriedrichNietzsche

->'''Spock:''' No, but is the human thing to do.

-->-- ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushuma''

->''"You might think Motome was disgusting for what he did, but man cannot survive on air alone. Would you truly have acted any differently?"''
-->-- '''Tsugumi Hanshiro''', ''Film/{{Harakiri}}''

-->--''Manga/{{InuYasha}}''

->''"My honor is dearer to me than my life."''
-->-- '''Don Quixote de La Mancha''', ''Literature/DonQuixote''

->''"To fight for the right\\
Without question or pause\\
To be willing to march into Hell\\
For a heavenly cause"''
-->-- '''Don Quixote de La Mancha''', ''Man of La Mancha'', "The Impossible Dream"

->''"Accomplish the mission and live...? Why didn't I think of that?"''
-->-- '''Fubuki''', ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories''

->''"The king heard him. 'You stiff-necked fool,' he muttered, 'too proud to listen. Can you eat pride, Stark? Will honor shield your children?'"''
-->-- '''George R.R Martin''', ''Literature/AGameOfThrones''

->''"Brave men die everyday, unremembered. Courage recieves no prize, but cowardice and dishonour can buy happiness and renown. The brave among us must accept their rewards from within, even in the throes of death."''
-->-- '''The Catechisms Martial''', ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}''

->'''Sheriff:''' A man learns all the details of a situation like ours, well, then he has a choice.\\
'''Mal:''' I don't believe he does.
-->-- ''Series/{{Firefly}}''

->'''Malcolm Reynolds:''' I had an out. Had every reason in the 'Verse to leave 'em [River and Simon] and haul anchor.\\

->''"Bro, you are such an idiot! [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules He offered us money, but no, you had to go and do the right thing!]] Since when are you such a goddamn boy scout?"''
-->-- '''Eliot Salem''', ''VideoGame/ArmyOfTwo''

->''"But great victories of the human spirit against fearful odds-as both Themistocles and Churchill so clearly saw-are not won in the last resort, by logic. Reason is not enough"''
-->-- '''Peter Green''', ''The Greco-Persian wars''

->''"It doesn't matter that his Grail may or may not exist, what matters is that he strives for the perfection of his soul and the salvation of his race and that he has never wavered or lost faith."''
-->-- '''Delenn''', ''Series/BabylonFive'', "Grail"

->'''Gowron''': Think about what you are doing. If you turn your back on me now... for as long as I live, you will not be welcome anywhere in the Klingon Empire. Your family will be removed from the High Council, your lands seized, and your House stripped of its titles! You will have nothing!\\
'''Worf''': ... except my honor.
-->-- ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', "The Way of the Warrior"

->'''Jinnah:''' [After being offered "Shameful Letters" from his political enemies while fighting over Pakistan's right to be its own country]: [It would be] more shameful of us to read them.\\
'''Politician:''' We don't read them sir; It was suggested that we use them.\\
'''Jinnah:''' We do not descend to this level! The shame is not theirs, it is ours. Destroy them!\\
'''Politician:''' They are talking about our county! Savaging our people! [Notices Jinnah's look] ... I am sorry sir.\\
'''Jinnah:''' I am to sorry. For the thought that blackened your generous mind.\\
'''Guardian Angel:''' [to [[Creator/ChristopherLee Christmas!Past!Visiting!Jinnah]]] Well, a bit prudish of you. You could have changed the entire course of history with those few letters.\\
'''Christmas!Past!Visiting!Jinnah''': Are you trying to play Satan with me? Did I hear you saying that I should have tried to use blackmail against my political opponents?\\

'''Christmas!Past!Visiting!Jinnah''': History is made by the will and the wants of millions of people, not by some letters and not by some blackmail.

->''In this movement the gentlemen who led the British army displayed those virtues that were as much a part of their social and intellectual order as the shortcomings that had got them into the present mess. They had defied reason in the interwar years; they defied it now with an instinctive faith that the right thing to do was the most dangerous and difficult. They had been bred to provide leadership; they prized bravery and resolution above any kind of cleverness and expertise; and they were to fight their way out of catastrophe, as had their country in 1940, by treating facts as less real then willpower.''
-->-- ''The Desert Generals'' by Correlli Barnett

->''In Okinawa, honor VERY important.''
-->-- ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII''

->''Peace is a precious and a desirable thing. Our generation, bloodied in wars, certainly deserves peace. But peace, like almost all things of this world, has its price, a high but a measurable one. We in Poland do not know the concept of peace at any price. There is only one thing in the lives of men, nations and countries that is without price. That thing is honor.''
-->-- '''Polish Foreign Minister Jozef Beck''', on the eve of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII

->''"[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness It's not about profit anymore;]] it's about respect."''
-->-- '''Quark''', ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', "The House of Quark"

->''(Lex Luthor offers Franchise/{{Batman}} a gun during a battle against Darkseid's armies)''\\
'''Batman''': ''(shakes head)'' [[DoesntLikeGuns Not my style.]]\\
'''Luthor''': Suit yourself. ''I'm'' planning to live through this.
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'', "Destroyer"

->''"I stay 'ere because it's me duty. And [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame bein' a dwarf]] is about doin' yer duty, even if it makes ye miserable. ESPECIALLY if it makes ye miserable!''"
-->-- '''Durkon Thundershield''', ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0084.html #84]]

->'''[[TheIdealist Blake Thorburn]]''': I like to give people the benefit of a doubt until they give me reason to do otherwise.\\
'''[[TheCynic Rose Thorburn]]''': Noble. Stupid as fuck, but noble.\\
'''Blake Thorburn''': Not arguing that. I’m TheFool, [[TarotTroubles after all.]]
-->-- ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', [[http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-7-void/7-10/ Void 7.10]]

->''Every virtue tends towards stupidity, every stupidity towards virtue; "stupid to the point of saintliness," they say in Russia.''
-->-- '''Creator/FriedrichNietzsche''', ''Beyond Good and Evil''

->"We have the [[DeusEstMachina most powerful ally in the world]], but you're too high-minded to let Her help us. So, we're gonna end up the most principled corpses in Potter's Field."

->"You'd think after everything that went down, Frankie would have cut Tommy loose right then. If that's what you think, you're not from Jersey."
-->-- '''Nick Massi''', ''Theatre/JerseyBoys''

->"I'm not going to swear an oath I can't uphold. Talk about my father if you want, tell me that's the attitude that got him killed. But when enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers, only better and better lies. And lies wont help us in this fight."
-->--'''Jon Snow''', probably the most triumphant Reconstruction of this trope, ''Series/GameOfThrones''

->"The craven mind is sharp with self interest.\\
The honourable mind is much easier to manipulate."
-->-- '''Flavor text for "[[http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Honourhome Honourhome]]"''', ''VideoGame/PathOfExile''

->'''[=GoGo=]:''' Why are we stopped?\\
'''Wasabi:''' The light's red!\\
'''[=GoGo=]:''' '''[[NotSoStoic THERE ARE NO RED LIGHTS]] ''[[RunOrDie IN A CAR CHASE!!]]'''''
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6''

->'''Player Azula''': Wait. What's that? I think it's your honor!\\
'''Player Zuko''': WHERE!?\\
[Azula [[VillainExitStageLeft exits through a hidden door]]]
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheEmberIslandPlayers "The Ember Island Players"]]

-->-- '''Waldo Geraldo Faldo''' (refusing to cheat on a test), ''Series/FamilyMatters''

->''"Really, Athos, you would make a singular general. You would fight only in broad daylight, inform your foe of when you planned to attack, and never attempt anything by night lest you should be accused of taking advantage of the darkness."''
-->-- '''Aramis''', ''Literature/TwentyYearsAfter''

->'''Vengeous:''' [[LawfulEvil Only a heathen brings a gun to a swordfight.]]\\
'''Skulduggery:''' [[CombatPragmatist Only a moron brings a sword to a gunfight.]]
-->--''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'', "Playing With Fire"

-> '''Héctor:''' [[PerformanceAnxiety You always this nervous before a performance?]]\\
'''Miguel:''' I don't know. I've never performed before.\\
'''Héctor:''' [[BigWhat What?]] You said you were a musician!\\
'''Miguel:''' I am! I mean, I-I will be. Once I win.\\
'''Héctor:''' '''''That's''''' your plan? No, no, no, no. You have to win, Miguel. Your life literally depends on you winning. And you've never done this before? Here, I'll go up ''(reaches for the guitar)''.\\
'''Miguel:''' ''(Pulls it away)'' Uh, n-no! I need to do this.\\
'''Héctor:''' Why?\\
'''Miguel:''' If I can't go out there and play one song, how can I call myself a musician?\\
'''Héctor:''' What does that matter?\\
'''Miguel:''' Cause I don't just want to ''get'' de la Cruz' blessing. I need to prove that... that I'm ''worthy'' of it.\\
'''Héctor:''' ''(momentarily touched)'' Oh. Oh, that's such a sweet sentiment. ''({{Beat}})'' [[SuddenlyShouting At SUCH a bad time!]]
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}''

->'''Aerrow:''' You made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with the Dark Ace?]] Are you out of your mind?!\\
'''Harrier:''' I know ''exactly'' what I'm doing! I'm ensuring that the Cyclonians will never threaten Terra Rex!\\
'''Piper:''' That's [[TheStarscream the Dark Ace]]. He doesn't ''do'' deals.\\
'''Harrier:''' He gave his word! He is honor-bound.\\
'''The Dark Ace:''' (smiling) Honor is overrated. [[ILied The Cyclonian invasion force is preparing as we speak.]] (sucker-punches Harrier)\\
''(during the latter battle in the sky)''\\
'''Harrier:''' Those who fight with honor will always prevail!\\
'''The Dark Ace:''' Times have changed. (blasts Harrier out of the sky)
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'', "The Code"

-> ''Honor means nothing to a corpse, Saurfang. You have the luxury of underestimating death, but it is something with which I am intimately familiar. Maybe you don't care if your people die so long as it is honorable. But to me, this Horde is worth saving. Anyone who disagrees does not deserve to stand among us. So die your warrior's death, High Overlord Saurfang. It means little to me. Perhaps I will raise your broken body to serve me once more. Or perhaps you will have a chance to say hello to your son.''

->''Finally, Aoki decides to try to end the fight. He grabs Hirota's arm with both hands and cranks it into a hammerlock. It was disgusting and airtight. Even Hulkamania wouldn't get you out of this hold. And it was about here where a cultural problem developed. In Japan they have this thing called Bushido. It's like giant balls, but more institutionalized. It's why we had to invent the atomic bomb. It basically means that when some asshole is ripping your arm off, your warrior spirit requires you to allow it. So Hirota's left arm refused to tap out as his right one was [[BodyHorror snapped into a vaguely arm-shaped sack of bone splinters]].''
-->-- '''Creator/{{Seanbaby}}''', [[https://www.cracked.com/blog/the-6-least-sportsmanlike-moments-in-mma/ The Six Least Sportsman-like Moments in MMA]]

->(''WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and WesternAnimation/YosemiteSam are about to escape from the house fire when suddenly...'')\\
'''Sam''': (''Gasp'') Your cake!\\

->'''Alfred Jodl''': We are soldiers! We've taken our oath to [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler the Führer]]!\\
'''Hermann Fegelein''': Should the oath prevent us from thinking independently?
-->--''Film/{{Downfall}}''

->(''Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam are about to escape from the house fire when suddenly...'')\\

[VillainExitStageLeft]

[Azula gets away while everyone is distracted]

->'''Player Azula''': "Look, there's your honor!"\\
'''Player Zuko''': "WHERE!?"
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', "The Ember Island Players"

-->-- ''Disney/BigHero6''