Q0447
“Act so that the maxim of your will could always hold at…” — Immanuel Kant (Critique of Practical Reason)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Critique of Practical Reason. Theme: morality.
English
Act so that the maxim of your will could always hold at the same time as a principle of universal legislation.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Critique of Practical Reason 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 formula Kant calls the categorical imperative: act only on a maxim you could will as a universal law. The test is not whether you would like the consequences but whether the rule you are acting on can be stated without contradiction when universalised. A maxim fails if willing it universally would destroy what the action is for — as a lying promise would destroy the trust that makes promising work. The criterion is thus logical, not consequentialist.
Why it matters
Its practical use is as a consistency check: state the rule you are about to act on, then ask what happens if everyone follows it. Many excuses do not survive being written down.
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 so that the maxim of your will could always hold at the same time as a principle of universal legislation. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0447
MLA: Immanuel Kant. “Act so that the maxim of your will….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0447.
Chicago: Immanuel Kant. “Act so that the maxim of your will….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0447.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Act so that the maxim of your will…”?
The passage is attributed to Immanuel Kant, Critique of Practical Reason. The archive attributes this English wording to Critique of Practical Reason 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.