Quote of the Day

"Also, you can compromise without violating your principles, but it is nearly impossible to compromise when you turn principles into ideology."--Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase

Definition of "principle" (from Merriam-Webster):

: a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions
: a basic truth or theory : an idea that forms the basis of something
: a law or fact of nature that explains how something works or why something happens

How does one "compromise" on a principle? I guess if you are a Wall Street CEO, that question answers itself, since it's something they do all the time. However, if they were honest with themselves, they would realize they don't actually have any principles, since it is by definition impossible to compromise on a principle.

A principle is the ethical version of a law of physics: It cannot be broken. A person would sooner allow their own death than to violate what they consider a principle.

What Jamie Dimon is talking about is an opinion. Even opinions based on beliefs may be compromised. As the saying about opinions goes, "they are like a-holes, everybody has one." And Jamie's opinions are more like a-holes than most people.