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Virtue Quotes

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Virtue Quotes

“Good-faith re-examination of a position you've held in the past should be seen as a virtue, not a vice.”

Should Past Virtue Position Vices Examination Good Faith

Author:Mark Udall

“When we think of the height of God's infinity we should not despair of His compassion reaching us from such a height; and when we recall the infinite depth of our fall through sin we should not refuse to believe that the virtue which has been killed in us will rise again. For God can accomplish both these things: He can come down and illumine our intellect with spiritual knowledge, and He can raise up the virtue within us and exalt it with Himself through works of righteousness.”

“He who devoutly strives to attain wisdom and is on his guard against the invisible powers, should pray that both natural discrimination - whose light is but limited - and the illuminating grace of the Spirit abide in him. The first by means of practice trains the flesh in virtue, the second illuminates the intellect so that it chooses above all else companionship with wisdom; and through wisdom it destroys the strongholds of evil and pulls down 'all the self-esteem that exalts itself against the knowledge of God' (II Cor. 10:5).”

“A vital difference between the professional man and a man of business is that money making to the professional man should, by virtue of his assumption, be incidental; to the businessman it is primary. Money has its limitations; while it may buy quantity, there is something beyond it and that is quality.”

Men Should May Differences Quality Virtue Primaries Limitation Making Money Assumption Quantity Consumerism Businessman Overconsumption

Author:Frank Lloyd Wright

“If there is a virtue in the world at which we should always aim, it is cheerfulness.”

Ifs World Should Joy Virtue Aim Cheerfulness

Author:Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton

“Parents are usually more careful to bestow knowledge on their children rather than virtue, the art of speaking well rather than doing well; but their manners should be of the greatest concern.”

Should Wells Children Art Parent Knowledge Virtue Concern Careful Manners Innocence Good Manners More Knowledge Speaking Well

Author:R. Buckminster Fuller

“Spontaneously to God should turn the soul, Like the magnetic needle to the pole; But what were that intrinsic virtue worth, Suppose some fellow, with more zeal than knowledge, Fresh from St. Andrew's College, Should nail the conscious needle to the north?”

Should Soul Turns Virtue Influence College Conscious Fellows Nails Zeal Needles Andrew Magnetic

Author:Thomas Hood

“No power or virtue of man could ever have deserved that what has been fated should not have taken place.”

Men Should Has Beens Virtue Taken Fate

Author:Ammianus Marcellinus

“A man in love prefers his passion to every other consideration, and is fonder of his mistress than he is of virtue. Should she prove vicious, she makes vice lovely in his eyes.”

Men Love Should Eye Passion Virtue Prove Vices Lovely His Eyes Consideration Vicious Mistress

Book:Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)

“Christianity seems at first to be all about morality, all about duties and rules and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all that, into something beyond. One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk of those things, except perhaps as a joke. Every one there is filled full with what we should call goodness as a mirror is filled with light. But they do not call it goodness. They do not call it anything. They are not thinking of it. They are too busy looking at the source from which it comes.”

Source: A Year with C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings from His Classic Works

“A state too expensive in itself, or by virtue of its dependencies, ultimately falls into decay; its free government is transformed into a tyranny; it disregards the principles which it should preserve, and finally degenerates into despotism. The distinguishing characteristic of small republics is stability: the character of large republics is mutability.”

“Could we forbear dispute, and practice love, We should agree as angels do above. Where love presides, not vice alone does find, No entrance there, hut virtues stay behind: Both faith, and hope, and all the meaner train, Of mortal virtues, at the door remain. Love only enters as a native there, For born in heav'n, it does but sojourn here.”

Should Doe Born Behinds Practice Virtue Doors Angel Agree Vices Mortals Native Disputes Entrances Hope And Faith Huts

Author:Edmund Waller

“Relegating conservation to government is like relegating virtue to the Sabbath. Turns over to professionals what should be daily work of amateurs .”

Should Government Turns Virtue Conservation Sabbath Daily Work

Book:Building

Source: Building

“There is, however, no advantage in reflections on the past further than may be of service to the present. For the future we must provide by maintaining what the present gives us and redoubling our efforts; it is hereditary to us to win virtue as the fruit of labour, and you must not change the habit, even though you should have a slight advantage in wealth and resources; for it is not right that what was won in want should be lost in plenty.”

Want Giving Should May Past Winning Lost Wealth Effort Virtue Habit Reflection Resources Advantage Should Have Fruit Plenty Labour Maintaining Hereditary

Book:The Peloponnesian War

Source: The Peloponnesian War

“But although the attractive virtue of the earth extends upwards, as has been said, so very far, yet if any stone should be at a distance great enough to become sensible compared with the earth's diameter, it is true that on the motion of the earth such a stone would not follow altogether; its own force of resistance would be combined with the attractive force of the earth, and thus it would extricate itself in some degree from the motion of the earth.”

Ifs Should Has Beens Said Enough Would Be Earth Force Virtue Degrees Stones Distance Resistance Attractive Sensible

Author:Johannes Kepler

“The maxim that men are not to be praised before their death was invented by envy and too lightly adopted by philosophers. I, on the contrary, maintain that they ought to be praised in their lifetime if they merit it; but jealousy and calumny, roused against their virtue or their talent, labour to degrade them if any one ventures to bear testimony to them. It is unjust criticism that they should fear to hazard, not sincere praise.”

“Every virtuous woman desires a husband to whom she can look for guidance and protection through this world. God has placed this desire in woman's nature. It should be respected by the stronger sex. Any man who takes advantage of this, and humbles a daughter of Eve to rob her of her virtue, and cast her off dishonored and defiled, is her destroyer, and is responsible to God for the deed.”

Men World Should Looks Desire Sex Virtue This World Husband Daughter Advantage Stronger Responsible Casts Deeds Protection Guidance Virtuous Destroyers Virtuous Woman

Book:Journal of Discourses

Source: Journal of Discourses

“Though there is a benevolence due to all mankind, none can question but a superior degree of it is to be paid to a father, a wife, or child. In the same manner, though our love should reach to the whole species, a greater proportion of it should exert itself towards that community in which Providence has placed us. This is our proper sphere of action, the province allotted us for the exercise of our civil virtues, and in which alone we have opportunities of expressing our goodwill to mankind.”

Source: Essays Moral and Humorous: Also Essays on Imagination and Taste

“Happiness does not fall out of the blue and dreams will not come true by themselves. We need to be down-to-earth and work hard. We should uphold the idea that working hard is the most honorable, noblest, greatest and most beautiful virtue.”

Needs Should Doe Ideas Hard Dream Earth Beautiful Fall Virtue Hard Work Blue Honorable Down To Earth

Author:Xi Jinping

“It is the inevitable effect of religion on public policy that makes it a matter of public concern. Advocates of religiosity extol the virtues or moral habits that religion is supposed to instill in us. But we should be equally concerned with the intellectual habits it discourages.”

Should Matter Moral Virtue Atheism Effects Policy Habit Intellectual Concern Concerned Positive Atheism Inevitable Discouraging Public Policy Instill

Author:Wendy Kaminer

“Rama Nama should come from the heart. In that event, Rama Nama could become an effective remedy against all ailments. A man who believes in Rama Nama would not make a fetish of the body but would regard it as a means of serving God. And for making it into a fit instrument for that purpose, Rama Nama is the sovereign means. To install Rama Nama in the heart requires infinite patience. It might even take ages. But the effort is worthwhile. Rama Nama cannot come from the heart unless one has cultivated the virtues of truth, honesty and purity within and without.”

“It has been shrewdly said, that when, men abuse us we should suspect ourselves, and when they praise us, them. It is a rare instance of virtue to despise which censure which we do not deserve; and still more rare to despise praise which we do.”

Men Should Has Beens Said Stills Virtue Deserve Abuse Praise Instance Suspects Despise Censure

Book:Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think

Source: Lacon, Or, Many Things in a Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think

“It is virtue which should determine us in the choice of our friends, without inquiring into their good or evil fortune.”

Should Choices Evil Virtue Friends Fortune Determine Inquiring

Author:Jean de la Bruyere

“He that has energy enough in his constitution to root out a vice should go a little further, and try to plant a virtue in its place; otherwise he will have his labor to renew. A strong soil that has produced weeds may be made to produce wheat with far less difficulty than it would cost to make it produce nothing.”

Should Trying May Littles Made Enough Energy Strong Virtue Produce Cost Labor Roots Constitution Difficulty Plant Vices Soil Weed Wheat

Author:Charles Caleb Colton

“Complaisance, though in itself it be scarce reckoned in the number of moral virtues, is that which gives a lustre to every talent a man can be possessed of. It was Plato's advice to an unpolished writer that he should sacrifice to the graces. In the same manner I would advise every man of learning, who would not appear in the world a mere scholar or philosopher, to make himself master of the social virtue which I have here mentioned.”

Source: The Tatler and the Guardian: Complete in One Volume, with Notes, and a General Index

“Who would ever care to do brave deed, Or strive in virtue others to excel, If none should yield him his deserved meed Due praise, that is the spur of doing well? For if good were not praised more than ill, None would choose goodness of his own free will.”

Ifs Should Wells Care Virtue Goodness Praise Brave Strive Ill Deeds Dues Free Will Yield Spurs

Author:Edmund Spenser

“Princes that would their people should do well Must at themselves begin, as at the head; For men, by their example, pattern out Their limitations, and regard of laws: A virtuous court a world to virtue draws.”

People Men World Should Wells Law Virtue Example Draws Regard Court Patterns Limitation Virtuous Royalty

Author:Ben Jonson

“As boys should be educated with temperance, so the first greatest lesson that should be taught them is to admire frugality. It is by the exercise of this virtue alone they can ever expect to be useful members of society.”

Should Firsts Boys Economy Virtue Taught Exercise Lessons Members Admire Educated Temperance Frugality

Book:The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: The bee. Essays. Unacknowledged essays. Prefaces, introductions, etc

Source: The Works of Oliver Goldsmith: The bee. Essays. Unacknowledged essays. Prefaces, introductions, etc

“Whatever is worthy to be loved for anything is worthy of preservation. A wise and dispassionate legislator, if any such should ever arise among men, will not condemn to death him who has done or is likely to do more service than injury to society. Blocks and gibbets are the nearest objects with legislators, and their business is never with hopes or with virtues.”

Ifs Men Should Done Virtue Wise Objects Worthy Punishment Arise Block Injury Preservation Legislators Dispassionate

Book:Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen: Richard I and the Abbot of Boxley. The Lord Brooke and Sir Philip Sidney. King Henry IV and Sir Arnold Savage. Southey and Porson. Oliver Cromwel and Walter Noble. Aeschines and Phocion. Queen Elizabeth and Cecil. King James I and Isaac Casaubon. Marchese Pallavicini and Walter Landor. General Kleber and some French officers. Bonaparte and the president of the senate. Bishop Burnet and Humphrey Hardcastle. Peter Leopold and the President Du

Source: Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen: Richard I and the Abbot of Boxley. The Lord Brooke and Sir Philip Sidney. King Henry IV and Sir Arnold Savage. Southey and Porson. Oliver Cromwel and Walter Noble. Aeschines and Phocion. Queen Elizabeth and Cecil. King James I and Isaac Casaubon. Marchese Pallavicini and Walter Landor. General Kleber and some French officers. Bonaparte and the president of the senate. Bishop Burnet and Humphrey Hardcastle. Peter Leopold and the President Du

“Being satisfied, from observation and experience, as well as from medical testimony, that ardent spirit as a drink is not only needless but hurtful; and that the entire disuse of it would tend to promote the health, the virtue, and the happiness of the community, we hereby express our convention that should the citizens of the United States, and especially ALL YOUNG MEN, discontinue entirely the use of it, they would not only promote their own personal benefit, but the good of our country and the world.”

“A good judge should never boast of his power, because he can do nothing but what he can do justly: he is not the master, but the minister of the law. Authority without virtue is a very dangerous state.”

Should States Law Can Do Virtue Dangerous Judging Masters Authority Ministers Boast Good Judges

Author:Thomas F. Wilson

“Surely it should be a matter of moral responsibility that we humans, different from other animals mainly by virtue of our more highly developed intellect and, with it, our greater capacity for understanding and compassion, ensure that medical progress slowly detaches its roots from the manure of non-human animal suffering and despair.”

“Gratitude is a virtue disposing the mind to an inward sense and an outward acknowledgment of a benefit received, together with a readiness to return the same, or the like, as occasions of the doer of it shall require, and the abilities of the receiver extend to. He who receives a good turn, should never forget it: he who does one, should never remember it.”

Should Mind Doe Together Remember Turns Ability Forget Virtue Return Gratitude Benefits Occasions Never Forget Inward Forget It Readiness Doers Receiver Acknowledgment

Author:Pierre Charron

“Happiness lies outside yourself, is achieved through interacting with others. Self-forgetfulness should be one's goal, not self-absorption. The male, capable of only the latter, makes a virtue of an irremediable fault and sets up self-absorption, not only as a good but as a Philosophical Good.”

Should Self Lying Goal Virtue Capable Philosophical Faults Males Latter Forgetfulness Interacting Absorption Self Absorption Interacting With Others Self Forgetfulness

Author:Valerie Solanas

“Frugality and economy are virtues without which no household can prosper. Whatever the income, waste of all kinds should be most sternly repressed ... Economy and frugality must never, however, be allowed to degenerate into meanness.”

Should Kind Economy Virtue Waste Income All Kinds Household Meanness Degenerates Thrift Repressed Frugality

Author:Isabella Beeton

“Intelligence is derived from two words - inter and legere - inter meaning 'between' and legere meaning 'to choose'. An intelligent person, therefore, is one who has learned 'to choose between'. He knows that good is better than evil, that confidence should supersede fear, that love is superior to hate, that gentleness is better than cruelty, forbearance than intolerance, compassion than arrogance, and that truth has more virtue than ignorance.”

Knows Should Persons Two Hate Evil Love Is Compassion Virtue Ignorance Intelligent Intelligence Superiors Cruelty Arrogance Intolerance Gentleness Forbearance Intelligent Person

Author:J. Martin Klotsche

“Surely, if we considered detraction to be bred of envy, nested only in deficient minds, we should find that the applauding of virtue would win us far more honor than the seeking slyly to disparage it. That would show we loved what we commended, while this tells the world we grudge at what we want in ourselves.”

Ifs World Want Should Mind Shows Winning Virtue Honor Seeking Envy Grudge

Book:Resolves: divine, moral and political

Source: Resolves: divine, moral and political

“The greatest human virtue bears no proportion to human vanity. We always think ourselves better than we are, and are generally desirous that others should think us still better than we think ourselves. To praise us for actions or dispositions which deserve praise is not to confer a benefit, but to pay a tribute. We have always pretensions to fame which, in our own hearts, we know to be disputable, and which we are desirous to strengthen by a new suffrage; we have always hopes which we suspect to be fallacious, and of which we eagerly snatch at every confirmation.”

Source: The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler

“This sutra enjoins a rule of morality. It says nobody should be disrespected. A man can impress evdrybnody by his virtues. Disrespecting others means downfall of our own virtues. A person who disrespects others, in a way disrespect himself. A virtuous man does not disrespect his friend or vevn his enemy. Disrespect to enemy can investigate him toreact. The best thing is to destroy him completely. For a ruler this is very important.”

Men Way Should Mean Persons Doe Important Political Enemy Virtue Morality Best Things Virtuous Rulers Impress Respecting Others Disrespect Downfall Disrespected

Author:Chanakya

“That education should be regulated by law and should be an affair of state is not to be denied, but what should be the character of this public education, and how young persons should be educated, are questions which remain to be considered. As things are, there is disagreement about the subjects. For mankind are by no means agreed about the things to be taught, whether we look to virtue or the best life. Neither is it clear whether education is more concerned with intellectual or with moral virtue.”

Source: Pocket Aristotle

“It has been well said that 'he who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.' The two are not the same, but the good citizen ought to be capable of both; he should know how to govern like a freeman, and how to obey like a freeman - these are the virtues of a citizen.”

Knows Should Wells Has Beens Said Two Government Know How Virtue Ought Citizens Capable Commanders Good Citizen Freeman Well Said

Book:The Essential Aristotle

Source: The Essential Aristotle

“Neither should we forget the mean, which at the present day is lost sight of in perverted forms of government; for many practices which appear to be democratical are the ruin of democracies, . . Those who think that all virtue is to be found in their own party principles push matters to extremes; they do not consider that disproportion destroys a state.”

Thinking Should Mean Matter States Government Form Found Lost Forget Party Principles Practice Virtue Democracy Sight Extremes Ruins Forms Of Government Present Day

Book:Politics

Source: Politics

“Now if there is any gift of the gods to men, it is reasonable that happiness should be god-given, and most surely god-given of all human things inasmuch as it is the best. But this question would perhaps be more appropriate to another inquiry; happiness seems, however, even if it is not god-sent but comes as a result of virtue and some process of learning and training, to be among the most god-like things; for that which is the prize and end of virtue seems to be the best thing in the world, and something god-like and blessed.”

Source: Complete Works of Aristotle, Volume 2: The Revised Oxford Translation

“Even if you must have regard to wealth, in order to secure leisure, yet it is surely a bad thing that the greatest offices, such as those of kings and generals, should be bought. The law which allows this abuse makes wealth of more account than virtue, and the whole state becomes avaricious.”

Ifs Should States Whole Law Order Wealth Justice Virtue Kings Office Abuse Accounts Regard Secure Bad Things Leisure

Book:The Essential Aristotle

Source: The Essential Aristotle

“The value of science to a republican people, the security it gives to liberty by enlightening the minds of its citizens, the protection it affords against foreign power, the virtue it inculcates, the just emulation of the distinction it confers on nations foremost in it; in short, its identification with power, morals, order and happiness (which merits to it premiums of encouragement rather than repressive taxes), are considerations [that should] always [be] present and [bear] with their just weight.”

Source: Public and private papers

“An essential virtue is humility. ... The principle of humility and prayer leads one to feel a need of divine guidance. Self-reliance is a virtue, but with it should go a consciousness of the need of superior help-a consciousness that as you walk firmly in the pathway of duty, there is a possibility of your making a misstep; and with that consciousness is a prayer, a pleading that God will inspire you to avoid that false step”

“One should adpot only those situations in which one is in no need of sham virtues, but rather, like the tight-rope dancer on his tight rope, in which one must either fall or stand--or escape.”

Needs Should Fall Situation Virtue Dancer Rope

Book:Twilight of the Idols with the Antichrist and Ecce Homo

Source: Twilight of the Idols with the Antichrist and Ecce Homo

“Whosoever shall look heedfully upon those who are eminent for their riches will not think their condition such as that he should hazard his quiet, and much less his virtue, to obtain it, for all that great wealth generally gives above a moderate fortune is more room for the freaks of caprice, and more privilege for ignorance and vice, a quicker succession of flatteries, and a larger circle of voluptuousness.”

Source: The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

“I'm not one of those people who think you should go grey and that there is some virtue in looking wrinkly if you don't feel like it. If you do, great. If you don't, just my only caution is watch out. There are a huge number of wrinkle creams that do nothing for you.”

People Ifs Thinking Feels Should Numbers Watches Virtue Huge Cream Grey Caution Wrinkles Huge Numbers

Author:Nora Ephron

“To honor with hymns and panegyrics those who are still alive is not safe; a man should run his course and make a fair ending, and then we will praise him; and let praise be given equally to women as well as men who have been distinguished in virtue.”

Men Should Wells Has Beens Stills Running Courses Given Virtue Alive Honor Safe Fairs Praise Distinguished Hymns

Author:Plato