Every time I've done something that doesn't feel right, it's ended up not being right.

Cuomo frames moral intuition as a practical guide: when an action feels ethically “off,” experience suggests it often proves wrong in outcome as well as in principle. The line implies a learned, retrospective wisdom—an accumulation of moments where compromising one’s sense of rightness led to regret, failure, or harm. It also gestures toward a public servant’s dilemma: political life invites expediency, but Cuomo suggests that violating one’s internal compass carries predictable costs. The quote’s significance lies in its fusion of ethics and pragmatism, presenting integrity not as idealism but as a reliable form of judgment under uncertainty.