A winner respects those who are superior to him and tries to learn from them; a loser resents those who are superior to him, and tries to find chinks in their armor.
If the law is on your side, argue the law. If the facts are on your side, argue the facts. If neither the law or the facts are on your side, defame your opponent every way possible.
The trouble with the advice, "Follow your conscience" is that most people follow it like someone following a wheelbarrow; they direct it wherever they want it to go, and then follow behind.