Quotes About Virtue

It can ruin your life only if it ruins your character. Otherwise it cannot harm you - inside or out

Repentance is a sort of self-reproach at some useful thing passed by; but the good must needs be a useful thing, and ever to be cultivated by the true good man; but the true good man would never regret having passed a pleasure by. Pleasure therefore is neither a useful thing nor a good.

Mihin tahansa kyllästyisinkin, niin aina pysyn onnellisena, sillä onnellinen on se, joka pystyy luomaan itselleen onnellisen kohtalon. Onnellinen kohtalo taas on hyvä mieliala, hyvät taipumukset, hyvät teot.

virtudes estoicas que debían regir su vida: sinceridad, sencillez y valor.

En cada una de tus acciones, hazte la pregunta ¿Cómo me va en eso?¿no tendré luego que arrepentirme de aquello? Dentro de poco habré muerto y todo se acabara ¿Qué mas puedo buscar, si obro al presente como un ser inteligente, sociable, relacionado, por igualdad de derechos con Dios?

Acostumbrarme a la idea de que es necesario corregir el carácter y vigilar las inclinaciones

As for that which is truly good, what can it stand in need of more than either justice or truth; or more than either kindness and modesty? Which of all those, either becomes good or fair, because commended; or dispraised suffers any damage? Doth the emerald become worse in itself, or more vile if it be not commended?

Do not feel qualms or despondency or discomfiture if thou dost not invariably succeed in acting from right principles; but when thou art foiled, come back again to them, and rejoice if on the whole thy conduct is worthy of a man, and love the course to which thou returnest.

La perfección moral lleva consigo que se viva cada día como si fuere el ultimo, sin apresurarse ni amilanarse, ni obrar con ficción.

Let no one have the chance to accuse you, with any truth, of not being sincere or a good man: make sure that anyone taking this view of you is a liar. This is wholly up to you- who is there to prevent you being good and sincere? You must just decide to live no longer if you won't have these qualities. And reason too abandons the man who won't. p102

Whatsoever any man either doth or saith, thou must be good; not for any man's sake, but for thine own nature's sake; as if either gold, or the emerald, or purple, should ever be saying to themselves, Whatsoever any man either doth or saith, I must still be an emerald, and I must keep my colour.

Time was that wherever forsaken I was a man well-portioned; but that man well-portioned is he that has given himself a good portion; and good portions are good phases of the soul, good impulses, good actions.

Make it not any longer a matter of dispute or discourse, what are the signs and properties of a good man, but really and actually be such.

A man should be upright, not be kept upright.

Qui una sola cosa ha valore: trascorrere tutta la vita nella verità e nella giustizia pur trattando con indulgenza i bugiardi e gli ingiusti.

Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.

Put an end once for all to this discussion of what a good man should be, and be one.

The best revenge is to be unlike your enemy.

It isn't manly to be enraged. Rather gentleness and civility are more human, therefrom more manly.

Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All of these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill… I can neither be harmed by any of them, for no man will involve me in wrong, nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him; for we have come into the world to work together

I'm going to be meeting with people today who talk too much – people who are selfish, egotistical, ungrateful. But I won't be surprised or disturbed, for I can't imagine a world without such people.

Waste no time arguing what a good man should be; Be one.

Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just. Then they will not care how devout you have been. But will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods then you will be gone but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of the loves ones.

Uno se deleita en una cosa, el otro en otra. Pero yo me deleito en conservar sano mi principio rector, sin experimentar aversión por hombre alguno, ni por cosa alguna que acontezca a los hombres, antes bien mirándolo todo con buenos ojos, aceptando y usando de cada cosa según su merito.