Q0065
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same…” — Immanuel Kant (Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Theme: morality.
English
Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and files it under Critical Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) spent nearly his entire life in Königsberg, rising from tutor to professor at the university there. After early scientific and metaphysical essays, the Critique of Pure Reason (1781/1787) launched his “critical” philosophy.
Interpretation
This is the same principle Kant formulates elsewhere in the Groundwork, in a version that foregrounds the will. The emphasis here falls on legislating: the agent is not consulting a pre-existing rule but asking whether the maxim they are about to act on could be willed as law by anyone. That makes the test one of authorship — you are deciding what kind of law you are laying down.
Why it matters
Framed as legislation it becomes harder to evade: the question is not whether the act is acceptable but whether you are willing to make the rule.
Concepts in this quote
- Morality
- Morality in philosophy concerns right and wrong, obligation, and the standards by which we judge persons and acts.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Immanuel Kant. (n.d.). Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0065
MLA: Immanuel Kant. “Act only according to that maxim whereby you….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0065.
Chicago: Immanuel Kant. “Act only according to that maxim whereby you….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0065.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Act only according to that maxim whereby you…”?
The passage is attributed to Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. The archive attributes this English wording to Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and files it under Critical Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Immanuel Kant mean by morality?
Moral philosophy asks whether morality is objective, how reasons bind us, and how character, rules, and consequences relate. Traditions differ on whether duty, virtue, or outcomes come first. This passage enters that discussion through morality.