You can't escape moral judgment through a legal loop hole.

Michael Josephson is an American ethicist and founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics, known for public-facing commentary on character, integrity, and the limits of “legal compliance” as a substitute for ethical conduct. This line reflects a recurring theme in late-20th- and early-21st-century ethics education and corporate/public-sector training: that people often defend questionable actions by pointing to technical legality, contractual fine print, or regulatory gaps. Josephson’s work frequently targets this rationalization, emphasizing that reputational and moral accountability operate independently of courts and statutes, and that public trust can be lost even when no law is broken.

The quote draws a sharp distinction between legality and morality. Josephson argues that exploiting loopholes may avoid formal punishment, but it cannot erase the ethical evaluation of one’s choices by oneself, one’s community, or history. “Moral judgment” here includes reputational consequences and the internal verdict of conscience, both of which can be harsher and more enduring than legal sanctions. The aphorism also implies a positive standard: ethical behavior requires more than rule-following; it requires good-faith adherence to the spirit of norms—fairness, honesty, and responsibility—especially when the letter of the law is incomplete or manipulable.