Ahimsa (nonviolence) is not merely refraining from causing harm or injury to others. It also implies refraining from causing harm to oneself. How can you ensure this? By constantly examining whether your conduct is right or wrong. For instance, you must examine whether your words are causing pain to others or not. You must see that your looks are not tainted by evil intentions or thoughts. You should not listen to evil talk. All these cause harm first to yourself and then to others. How do you determine what is bad? By consulting your conscience. Whenever you act against the dictates of your conscience, bad results follow. Conscience within you is the form of the Divine within everyone. Whatever you do, your conscience tells you whether it is right or wrong. To ascertain the directive of conscience, you must wait for some time. Before you say something, practice thinking for a moment if it is proper or not and then speak.

- Divine Discourse, Jan 18, 1996.