Obligation
An obligation is a course of action that someone is required to take, whether legal or moral. There are also obligations in other normative contexts, such as obligations of etiquette, social obligations, and possibly in terms of politics, where obligations are requirements which must be fulfilled. These are generally legal obligations, which can incur a penalty for unfulfilment, although certain people are obliged to carry out certain actions for other reasons as well, whether as a tradition or for social reasons. Obligations vary from person to person: for example, a person holding a political office will generally have far more obligations than an average adult citizen, who themselves will have more obligations than a child. Obligations are generally granted in return for an increase in an individual's rights or power. For example, obligations for Health and Safety in a workplace from employer to employee maybe to ensure the Fire exit isn't blocked or ensure that the plugs are put in firmly.
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Famous quotes containing the word obligation:
“There are minds so impatient of inferiority that their gratitude is a species of revenge, and they return benefits, not because recompense is a pleasure, but because obligation is a pain.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
“So what if people say terrible things? Whatever they call me, I say, “Yes, and my name is Mary.” I refuse to be afraid. And I do this out of an obligation not to the community but to myself. Nobody should have a say in who I am.”
—Mary Hansen (b. c. 1975)
“In other words, a democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.”
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)