Quotes About Virtue

Virtue and vice were warp and woof of our first consciousness, and they will be the fabric of our last, and this despite any changes we may impose on field and river and mountain, on economy and manners. There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill? Herodotus

It is not because men's desires are strong that they act ill; it is because their consciences are weak.

Virtue was no longer sought in temple or market place but in the home—one's own home, and then the homes of one's friends.

An interesting aspect of Cayce's teachings on faith is that he perceived virtue as a fruit of faith. (262-18) As one lives in faith, one's heart and mind become increasingly virtuous. He added that a virtuous heart and mind are a fertile field for a spiritual understanding about self and life. This understanding would naturally arise with one whose faith gives life to virtue, which in turn gives life to a greater understanding.

Be more concerned with character than reputation. Character is what you are, reputation is what people think you are.

You can do more good by being good than any other way.

Never lie; never cheat; never steal. Don't whine; don't complain; don't make excuses.

Some people today may think these are naive or kind of corny. But think a moment about what they mean and who you become if you abide by them. That isn't naive. You don't become corny.

Good values are like a magnet, they attract good people.

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Character is what you really are. Reputation is what people say you are.

The smallest good dead is better than the best intention

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value. —ALBERT EINSTEIN

The practice of mindfulness involves finding, recognizing, and making use of that in us which is already okay, already beautiful, already whole by virtue of our being human—and drawing upon it to live our lives as if it really mattered how we stand in relationship to what arises, whatever it is.

On the radio, I heard someone define ethics as "obedience to the unenforceable." Not bad. You do it for inner reasons, not because someone is keeping score, or because you might be punished if you break the rules and get caught. You are marching to the beat of your own drummer.

If you are able to be good, be thankful to God.

Faith is a theological virtue that inclines the mind under the influence of the will and grace to yield firm assent to revealed truths because of the authority of God.

Faith is the sturdiest the most manly of the virtues. It lies behind our pluckiest... strivings. It is the virtue of the storm just as happiness is the virtue of the sunshine.

The great virtue of parents is a great dowry.

It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them.

What is it that affectionate parents require of their Children; for all their care, anxiety, and toil on their accounts? Only that they would be wise and virtuous, Benevolent and kind.

As a whole forest becomes fragrant by the existence of a single tree with sweet-smelling blossoms in it, so a family becomes famous by the birth of a virtuous son.

Obviously, marriage is not a synonym for morality. But stable marriages and families do encourage moral behavior.

If you feel that . . . what you do this year or in the years to come does not make you very famous, take heart. Most of the best people who ever lived weren't very famous either.

The Bible tells us that the sins of the fathers are passed to succeeding generations. The virtues of the fathers can be passed along, too.