The Golden Rule
Treat others as you wish to be treated—the universal ethical principle Jesus taught.
Jesus summarizes ethical behavior: 'Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.' This positive formulation goes beyond merely avoiding harm to actively doing good. It requires imagination—putting ourselves in others' situations and acting from that perspective. The Golden Rule appears in most world religions but Jesus makes it central. Hillel, a generation earlier, gave the rule negatively: what is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. Jesus makes it positive. This simple principle, consistently applied, would transform human relationships.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Thomas Aquinas taught that natural law is accessible to all through reason, with the Golden Rule as its most basic expression.
Gospel of Matthew