on the side of the angels

Idioms  

1. Supporting the good side, as in Whatever you may think of him, on important issues he's usually on the side of the angels. This expression was coined by Benjamin Disraeli in 1864 in a speech about Darwin's theory that man is descended from apes: “The question is this: Is man an ape or an angel? Now I am on the side of the angels.” Before long it was extended to broader use, specifically to the moral view.

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Example Sentences

“But like the saying goes, you want to be on the side of the angels.”

From Los Angeles Times

If it is a generational battle, and I believe it is ultimately, that we were going through in the ’60s and that we’re going through now, being a young person is being on the side of the angels because it’s really trying to deal with the impossible embargoes on thought that exist in a culture.

From Seattle Times

Whereas Charles might have started to convince himself that he was on the side of the angels, but he really, really wasn't.

From Salon

In this particular, however, he’s on the side of the angels.

From Los Angeles Times

These learned societies are on the side of the angels, but there’s a problem: Research shows that dogs do, in fact, experience dominance.

From Washington Post