The quote ”my basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are easy; you don’t  make them because they are cheap; you don’t make them because they’re popular;you make them because they are right.” is telling us is that if you make a decision to do anything in life you have to know that it is a good thing. For example if you are at a party and someone has been asking you to smoke with them and at first you want to you have to know that it is not a really good thing to do that and then say no to them because you know that drugs are no good. Another example is when you at a place where you have to decide whether you want to drink and then derive home or not drink and drive home safely. This is a time when you would have to ask yourself if you want to go the bad route or do whats right. In this quote Theodore Hesburgh explains how he will not take the wrong decision because he believes it is not the right thing. He also says that if he thinks something is cool because others are doing it but he knows it is wrong then he will make the decision to not do it.and that he does not do things because it is easy for him to do. He does things that he knows are good for him