The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right.

Safire’s line draws a sharp distinction between legality (or entitlement) and morality. A society may recognize a “right” to act—through law, custom, or personal liberty—without thereby endorsing the act as ethically commendable. The aphorism cautions against treating rights-talk as a moral trump card: having permission, power, or protection from interference does not settle questions of virtue, harm, or responsibility. It also implies a reciprocal civic ethic: defending someone’s right to choose is compatible with criticizing the choice itself. In debates over speech, privacy, or personal conduct, the quote functions as a reminder that moral judgment and legal judgment operate on different planes.