21 Religions Teach The Golden Rule

Bahá’í

“Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not.”

“Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself.”

Baha’u’llah

“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

Brahmanism

“This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.”
Mahabharata, 5:1517

Buddhism

“…a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?”
Samyutta Nikaya v. 353

“Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
Udana-Varga 5:1

Christianity

“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.”
Matthew 7:12, King James Version

“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”
Luke 6:31, King James Version

“…and don’t do what you hate…”
Gospel of Thomas 6 (New Testament)

Confucianism

“Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.”
Analects 15:23

“Tse-kung 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 impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'”
Doctrine of the Mean 13.3

“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.”
Mencius VII.A.4

Egyptian (Ancient)

“Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do.”
The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109 – 110

Hinduism

“This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.”
Mahabharata 5:1517

Islam

“None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”
Number 13 of Imam Al-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths

Jainism

“Therefore, neither does he [a sage] cause violence to others nor does he make others do so.”
Acarangasutra 5.101-2

“In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.”
Lord Mahavira, 24th

Judaism

“…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Leviticus 19:18

“What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary.”
Talmud, Shabbat 31a

“And what you hate, do not do to any one.”
Tobit 4:15 6

Native American Spirituality

“Respect for all life is the foundation.”
The Great Law of Peace

“All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One.
Black Elk

“Do not wrong or hate your neighbor. For it is not he who you wrong, but yourself.”
Pima proverb

“Do no kill or injure your neighbor for it is not him that you injure, you injure yourself. But do good to him; therefore, add to his days of happiness as you add to your own.“
Shawnee

Roman Paganism

“The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves.”

Shinto

“The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form.”
Munetada Kurozumi

“Be charitable to all beings, love is the representative of God.”
Ko-ji-ki Hachiman Kasuga

Sikhism

“Compassion-mercy and religion are the support of the entire world.”
Japji Sahib

“Don’t create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone.”
Guru Arjan Devji 259

“No one is my enemy, none a stranger and everyone is my friend.”
Guru Arjan Dev: AG 1299

Sufism

“The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven’t the will to gladden someone’s heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone’s heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this.”
Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order

Taoism

“Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.”
T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien

“The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind: for Virtue is kind. He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful.”
Tao Teh Ching, Chapter 49

Tirthankara

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

Unitarian Principles

“The inherent worth and dignity of every person”

“Justice, equity and compassion in human relations”

“The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all”

“We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”

Wicca

“And it harm no one, do what thou wilt.”
Wiccan Rule

Yoruba: (Nigeria)

“One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts.”

Zoroastrianism

“That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself.”
Dadistan-i-dinik 94:5

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

5 Philosophies Teach The Golden Rule

Epictetus

“What you would avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on others.”
Turkey, Rome, Greece

Kant

“Act as if the maxim of thy action were to become by thy will a universal law of nature.”
Germany

Plato

“May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me.”
Greece

Seneca

“Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your superiors.”
Rome

Socrates

“Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you.”
Greece

Thomas Hobbs

“Do not that to another which thou woudst not have done to thyself.”
England

2 Moral/Ethical Systems Teach The Golden Rule

Humanism

“Don’t do things you wouldn’t want to have done to you
British Humanist Society

Scientology

“20: Try to treat others as you would want them to treat you.”
“The Way to Happiness”
L. Ron Hubbard

Sources

The Golden Rule
Cooper, Ilene
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2007

Understanding the Golden Rule/Religious and Cultural Origins of the Golden Rule

Paula M. Kramer’s Addition To The Golden Rule

Personal Golden Rule

Do unto yourself as you would have others do unto you by satisfying your own needs. *

Love yourself as you would have your neighbors love you by satisfying your own needs. *

Paying attention to your own needs as you see them gives you the ability to pay attention to other people’s needs as they see them. Satisfying your own needs gives you the ability to satisfy other people’s needs.

Perspective Golden Rule

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you by satisfying their needs as they see them. *

Love your neighbor as you love yourself by satisfying their needs as they see them. *

* Legal needs that hurt no one.