"In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so"

Immanuel Kant is specifying that the idea of regret has two various however associated aspects: legal regret and ethical guilt. Legal regret describes when a person commits an action that breaches the rights of others and is a violation of the law. Nevertheless, ethical guilt goes beyond just action and includes the intentions and thoughts of an individual. According to Kant, a person is ethically guilty if they just think of breaking the rights of others, even if they do not act upon those thoughts. This recommends that ethical obligation extends beyond actions and includes thoughts and objectives.