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Honest Quotes

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Honest Quotes

“Men who are sincere in defending their freedom, will always feel concern at every circumstance which seems to make against them; it is the natural and honest consequence of all affectionate attachments, and the want of it is a vice. But the dejection lasts only for a moment; they soon rise out of it with additional vigor; the glow of hope, courage and fortitude, will, in a little time, supply the place of every inferior passion, and kindle the whole heart into heroism.”

Source: Common Sense, The Rights of Man and Other Essential Writings of ThomasPaine

“Men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour. Those same men, when by base subjection and constraint they are brought under and kept down, turn aside from that noble disposition, by which they formerly were inclined to virtue, to shake off and break that bond of servitude, wherein they are so tyrannously enslaved; for it is agreeable with the nature of man to long after things forbidden, and to desire what is denied us.”

“I suppose as long as novels last, and authors aim at interesting their public, there must always be in the story a virtuous and gallant hero; a wicked monster, his opposite; and a pretty girl, who finds a champion. Bravery and virtue conquer beauty; and vice, after seeming to triumph through a certain number of pages, is sure to be discomfited in the last volume, when justice overtakes him, and honest folks come by their own.”

Source: The four Georges. The English humorists. Roundabout papers

“Virtue will catch as well as vice by contact; and the public stock of honest manly principle will daily accumulate. We are not too nicely to scrutinize motives as long as action is irreproachable. It is enough (and for a worthy man perhaps too much) to deal out its infamy to convicted guilt and declared apostasy.”

Source: The Writings and Speeches of Edmund Burke: On Conciliation with America; Security of the Independence of Parliament; on Mr. Fox's East India

“An honest man is not accountable for the vice and folly of his trade, and therefore ought not to refuse the exercise of it. It is the custom of his country, and there is profit in it. We must live by the world, and such as we find it, so make use of it.”

Men World Country Use Honest Honesty Ought Exercise Trade Profit Vices Refuse Folly Live By Customs Honest Man

Author:Michel de Montaigne

“For the honest people, relations increase with the years. For the vicious, inconveniences increase. Inconstancy is the defect of vice; the influence of habit is one of the qualities of virtue.”

People Years Quality Virtue Influence Honest Habit Increase Relation Vices Defects Vicious Inconvenience Honest People Inconstancy

Author:Suzanne Curchod

“After a tongue has once got the knack of lying, it is not to be imagined how impossible almost it is to reclaim it. Whence it comes to pass, that we see some men, who are otherwise very honest, so subject to this vice.”

Men Lying Impossible Subjects Honest Vices Tongue Knack

Author:Michel de Montaigne

“It was invaluable to have a dear friend who you have known for over a decade, be a partner in a film like Titanic. To have somebody that talented to work against, who's also your friend and who you know you have the best intentions for and vice versa, and who you intrinsically trust to give you their forthright honest opinion about what we're both doing - all that's something you can't really buy.”

Knows Giving Film Known Opinion Honest Intention Dear Vices Decades Partners Vice Versa Invaluable Dear Friend Best Intentions Who You Know

Author:Leonardo DiCaprio

“Economists get very uncomfortable when you talk about virtue and vice. It doesn't lend itself to a lot of columns with numbers. But I would argue that there are big virtue effects in economics. I would say that the spreading of double-entry bookkeeping by the Monk, Fra Luce de Pacioli, was a big virtue effect in economics. It made business more controllable, and it made it more honest.”

Made Bigs Numbers Virtue Effects Honest Economics Vices Arguing Made It Uncomfortable Economist Monk Columns Entry Bookkeeping

Author:Charlie Munger