The Golden Rule: Reciprocity and Treatment of Others

Buddhism

All men tremble at punishment, all men fear death; remember that you are like unto them, and do not kill, nor cause slaughter.

The Dhammapada, v. 129, F. Max Müller (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 10), 1881

Christianity

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

The Bible (King James Version), Matthew 7:12, 1611

Confucianism

The Master said, "Is not RECIPROCITY such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."

The Confucian Analects, bk. xv, c. xxiii, James Legge, 1893

Hinduism

Summary: The Mahabharata (Book 13, Section 1137) states that one should not do to others what one would not want done to oneself, and that this is the sum of duty. The passage appears in the Anusasana Parva. The Ganguli translation (1883) is available at sacred-texts.com.

The Mahabharata, Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883

Taoism

To those who are good (to me), I am good; and to those who are not good (to me), I am also good; and thus (all) get to be good.

The Tao Te Ching, ch. 49, James Legge (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39), 1891

Judaism

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

The Bible (King James Version), Leviticus 19:18, 1611

Islam

Summary: The Quran, in Surah 41:34 (Sale translation), teaches that good and evil are not equal, and that one should repel evil with what is better, so that the person with whom one had enmity becomes a close friend. The George Sale translation (1734) is available at Project Gutenberg.

The Koran, George Sale, 1734

Sikhism

Summary: The Guru Granth Sahib teaches that no one is an enemy and no one is a stranger, and that one should get along with all. This passage appears in the Japji section. The anonymous English translation (1877) is available at sacred-texts.com.

Shri Guru Granth Sahib, anonymous English translation, 1877