“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”
— Immanuel Kant, Critique of Practical Reason
What this quote means
The famous conclusion of the second Critique. Kant pairs the vastness of nature with the authority of conscience — the moral law within, whose unconditional command is formalised in the categorical imperative.
The idea behind it
The Categorical Imperative — Kant's supreme moral rule: act only on a principle you could will everyone to follow, and treat people as ends, never merely as means.
Critique of Practical Reason is public domain; attribution verified. Confidence: high.