Quotes About Virtue

A man who preserves his integrity no real, long-lasting harm can ever come.

Is something good because the gods approve of it? Or do the gods approve of it because it is good?

You are mistaken, my friend, if you think that a man who is worth anything ought to spend his time weighing up the prospects of life and death. He has only one thing to consider in performing any action; that is, whether he is acting justly or unjustly, like a good man or a bad one.

Virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private.

Someone might say: " Are you not ashaed, Socrates, to have followed the kind of occupation that has led to your being now in danger of death?" Howeverm, Ishould be right to reply to him: "You are wrong, sir, if you think that a man who is any good at all should take into account the risk of life or death; he should look to this only in his actions, whether what he does is right or wrong, whether he is acting like a good or bad man

Someone might say: " Are you not ashamed, Socrates, to have followed the kind of occupation that has led to your being now in danger of death?" Howeverm, I should be right to reply to him: "You are wrong, sir, if you think that a man who is any good at all should take into account the risk of life or death; he should look to this only in his actions, whether what he does is right or wrong, whether he is acting like a good or bad man

Nothing that other people can do to you can harm you enough to cancel out the benefit you bestow on yourself by acting rightly. It follows that bad people ultimately harm only themselves: nothing can harm a good man either in life or after death

Doing good is a matter of looking after the part of yourself which matters most, namely your soul

Si pensáis que matando a la gente vais a impedir que se os reproche que no vivís rectamente, no pensáis bien. Este medio de evitarlo ni es muy eficaz, ni es honrado. El más honrado y el más sencillo no es reprimir a los demás, sino prepararse para ser lo mejor posible.

Knowledge is the only virtue," because "Once a man knows good from evil, nothing on earth can compel him to act against that knowledge.

The purpose in life is to develop a strong character.

Man, you don't speak well, if you believe that a man worth anything at all would give countervailing weight to the danger of life or death, or give consideration to anything but this when he acts: whether his action is just or unjust, the action of a good or of an evil man.

Ojalá Critón, que la mayoría fuera capaz de llevar a cabo los mayores males, con tal de que fuera capaz de realizar los mayores bienes, que entonces todo iría bellamente. Mas, por el contrario, de ninguna de las dos cosas son capaces, que no pueden hacer ni lo sensato ni lo insensato, sino tan solo lo que les salga a la ventura

Buddha said: "Do not overlook negative actions merely because they are small; however small a spark may be, it can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain." Similarly he said: "Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel.

The Sage was asked to define good manners? to which he replied, To bear patiently the rude ones.

The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones.

Many evil men are rich, and good men poor, but we shall not exchange with them our excellence for riches.

Put more trust in nobility of character than in an oath.

Where there are many men without honor, there will always be some others who bear in themselves the honor of many men.

Character is what you do when no one's looking.

For kindness begets kindness evermore,But he from whose mind fades the memoryOf benefits, noble is he no more.

War never takes a wicked man by chance, the good man always.

The rewards of virtue alone abide secure.

Time alone reveals the just man but you might discern a bad man in a single day.