Literary notes about Obligation (AI summary)
The term “obligation” in literature is portrayed as a multifaceted force that operates on both personal and societal levels. At times it signifies a personal debt or the moral duty to honor a prior act—such as when a character repays a familial remittance ([1]) or refuses to divulge all information on a need-to-know basis ([2]). In other contexts, it is depicted as an essential legal or social binding, evident in the discussion of contractual duties and civic responsibilities ([3], [4], [5]). Some authors extend the notion to include the compelling weight of tradition and moral law, as seen in debates over freedom versus duty ([6], [7], [8]). Thus, across diverse narratives, “obligation” emerges not only as an external constraint but also as a reflection of internal ethical commitments that guide characters’ actions ([9], [10], [11]).
- So the work went ahead, and when the delayed remittance from his family arrived, Rizal repaid the obligation.
— from Lineage, Life and Labors of José Rizal, Philippine Patriot by Austin Craig - But I am under no obligation to tell you everything that it may be to your interest to be told."
— from De Officiis by Marcus Tullius Cicero - The question is when performance of the promise on one side is a condition to the obligation of the contract on the other.
— from The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes - It is not so to this day if there is an obligation under seal.
— from The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes - The voice of oracles, the precepts of philosophers, and the authority of the laws, unanimously enforced this national obligation.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - But no, no! It is our duty, it is our obligation, and we do not require rewards for doing our work properly.
— from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol - Does the belief that moral obligation has its seat outside the mind make the feeling of it too strong to be got rid of?
— from Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill - The person is a stranger: I am no way interested in him, nor lie under any obligation to him:
— from A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume - By saying that you may send the child, Madame Duval aims at conferring, where she most owes obligation.
— from Evelina, Or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World by Fanny Burney - The crusaders considered themselves under an obligation to fulfil this prophecy.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - The slave has no duties, because he has no rights; but he is subject to an obligation which rests on sheer force.
— from The Basis of Morality by Arthur Schopenhauer
