Quotes About Virtue

I allow you all the vices you choose to claim -- indeed, I know you for a gamester, and a shocking rake, and a man of sadly unsteady character! -- but I'm not so green that I don't recognize in you one virtue and least, and one quality.' 'What, is that all? How disappointing! What are they?' 'A well-informed mind, and a great deal of kindness.

Evelyn says that they are all of them truly good and saintly! Indeed, he described Patience to me as an angel! Well, dearest, I wouldn't for a moment deny that that is – is most admirable, but I find saintly persons excessively uncomfortable, and I cannot live with an angel!

That is why, in the course of human history, truth-telling has been designated as the highest of virtues in every culture, and why the credibility that results therefrom is always so powerful.

This world is always working against a sense of honor, cleanliness, integrity.

Let not a man do what his sense of right bids him not to do, nor desire what it forbids him to desire. This is sufficient. The skillful artist will not alter his measures for the sake of a stupid workman.

Belief fails when it works not well indeed but is idle as a sleeping man... Each virtuous deed is strong when it is grounded upon the solidity of belief.

While the soul is in mortal sin, nothing can profit it; none of its good works merit an eternal reward, since they do not proceed from God as their first principle, and by Him alone is our virtue real virtue.

There is no real excellence in all of this world which can be separated from right living.

One should see the world, and see himself as a scale with an equal balance of good and evil. When he does one good deed the scale is tipped to the good - he and the world is saved. When he does one evil deed the scale is tipped to the bad - he and the world is destroyed.

Every good act is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter is the good that he does in this world to his fellows.

No man or woman can be strong, gentle, pure, and good, without the world being better for it and without someone being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness.

In this world, there are bad people and there are good people. We can either choose to celebrate the bad ones all the time, or we can celebrate the good ones.

How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

Anyone can be heroic from time to time, but a gentleman is something you have to be all the time.

I am so tired of ruggedly handsome heroes. I don't know too many ruggedly handsome people who are necessarily nice people. In fact, the beautiful people have a big handicap because they rely too much on their appearance and don't bother to become interesting.

'Tis better to suffer wrong than do it.

I've never been crazy. I'm a very good girl, to be honest. I don't do anything to hurt anybody.

I try to be honest. I try to take the high road. That's all I can do.

If the gentleman has ability, he is magnanimous, generous, tolerant, and straightforward, through which he opens the way to instruct others.

Those who are most pious and noble tend to be the least tolerant.

I cannot tolerate immorality.

Economic growth has become a mark of countries' virtue. And what goes for countries goes for people. It's not enough to have high net worth anymore. What matters is the rate of increase—that is, "ever growing wealth.

Conformity is the inspiration of much second-rate virtue.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. —Philippians 4:8 NKJV