one’s culture, The Mechanics of Virtue, Matt Berry, aphorism 128
128
A public morality has the individual reacting on behalf of his culture, this way, then that, according to present conditions. One cannot then anticipate the turn required by one’s culture if one holds to a private moral interpretation. Immorality, observed as a public event, occurs when one fails to turn with the others. For the private thinker, however, immorality occurs precisely when one turns from one's most cherished moral precepts. The public takes a turn; the private moralist continues with his straight and narrow, and commits a crime against society.
A public morality has the individual reacting on behalf of his culture, this way, then that, according to present conditions. One cannot then anticipate the turn required by one’s culture if one holds to a private moral interpretation. Immorality, observed as a public event, occurs when one fails to turn with the others. For the private thinker, however, immorality occurs precisely when one turns from one's most cherished moral precepts. The public takes a turn; the private moralist continues with his straight and narrow, and commits a crime against society.