Virtuous Quotes - Page 17

• Every virtuous act is inspired by a dark secret.

  Gregory David Roberts

  Dark, Secret, Inspired

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• He is a truly virtuous man who wishes always to be open to the observation of honest men.

  Francois de La Rochefoucauld

  War, Men, Wish

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• A virtuous man concentrates on his own work, not that of others.

  Zengzi

  Humility, Men

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• To procrastinate seems inherent in man, for if you do to-day that you may enjoy to-morrow it is but deferring the enjoyment; so that to be idle or industrious, vicious or virtuous, is but with a view of procrastinating the one or the other.

  Benjamin Haydon

  Procrastination, Men, Views

  Benjamin Robert Haydon, Frederick Wordsworth Haydon (1876). “Correspondence and Table-talk: With a Memoir”, p.294

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• Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our own standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.

  Reinhold Niebuhr

  Life, Finals, Form

  "The Irony of American History". Book by Reinhold Niebuhr, 1952.

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• There seem to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth. The first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their conquered neighbors. This is robbery. The second by commerce, which is generally cheating. The third by agriculture, the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle, wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life and his virtuous industry.

  Benjamin Franklin

  Life, Cheating, Real

  Benjamin Franklin (1819). “Memoirs of the life and writings of B.F. ...”, p.60

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• It is not the business of government to make men virtuous or religious, or to preserve the fool from the consequences of his own folly. Government should be repressive no further than is necessary to secure liberty by protecting the equal rights of each from aggression on the part of others, and the moment governmental prohibitions extend beyond this line they are in danger of defeating the very ends they are intended to serve.

  Henry George

  Religious, Men, Rights

  Henry George, A. C. Auchmuty (1908). “Gems from Henry George: being memorable passages from the writings and addresses of the author of "Progress and poverty"”

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• The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, because in the degradation of women, the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source.

  Lucretia Mott

  Inspiring, Justice, Feminist

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• The perfection of joyful determination is defined as taking delight or feeling joy in doing something positive or virtuous. If you are very joyful about doing negative things or about being busy with meaningless activities, this is not called joyful exertion from a Buddhist point of view. This kind of attitude is actually a form of laziness, an attachment to frivolous activities. Such a person would not be considered diligent at all. But if you are JOYFUL and DETERMINED TO PERFORM POSITIVE ACTIONS, then as a result, you discover and learn many new things that you didn't know about before.

  Geshe Gyeltsen

  Determination, Buddhist, Attitude

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• It is simply impossible to lead, without the aid of prayer, a virtuous life.

  Saint John Chrysostom

  Prayer, Saint, Impossible

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• Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Country, Independent, Garden

  Thomas Jefferson, Jerry Holmes (2002). “Thomas Jefferson: A Chronology of His Thoughts”, p.62, Rowman & Littlefield

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• As for the virtuous poor, one can pity them, of course, but one cannot possibly admire them. They have made private terms with the enemy, and sold their birthright for very bad pottage. They must also be extraordinarily stupid.

  Oscar Wilde

  Stupid, Enemy, Poverty

  Oscar Wilde, General Press (2016). “The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde: Novel, Short Stories, Poetry, Essays and Plays”, p.1035, GENERAL PRESS

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• As for the virtuous poor, one can pity them of course, but one cannot possibly admire them.

  Oscar Wilde

  Poverty, Pity, Virtue

  'The Soul of Man under Socialism'

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• To be moral, correct, and virtuous is to be obedient to an old established law and custom.

  Friedrich Nietzsche

  Law, Moral, Tradition

  Friedrich Nietzsche (2012). “Human, All-Too-Human: Parts One and Two”, p.60, Courier Corporation

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• Many an attack of depression is nothing but the expression of regret at having to be virtuous.

  Wilhelm Stekel

  Regret, Expression

  Wilhelm Stekel (2014). “The Depths of the Soul (Psychology Revivals): Psycho-Analytical Studies”, p.149, Routledge

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• Virtuous and vicious every man must be, few in the extreme, but all in the degree.

  Alexander Pope

  Men, Degrees, Virtue

  Alexander Pope (1848). ““The” Select Poetical Works of Alexander Pope: With the Life and Portrait of the Author”, p.194

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• Religion either makes men wise and virtuous, or it makes them set up false pretenses to both.

  William Hazlitt

  Wise, Men, Hypocrisy

  William Hazlitt (2015). “Delphi Collected Works of William Hazlitt (Illustrated)”, p.307, Delphi Classics

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• Spurn not the nobly born with love affected; nor treat with virtuous scorn the well connected.

  W. S. Gilbert

  Born, Treats, Wells

  'Iolanthe' (1882) act 1

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• If I am virtuous and worthy, for whom should I not maintain a proper concern?

  Confucius

  Vices, Virtue, Should

  Chʻu Chai, Confucius, Mencius (1965). “Lun Yü”, New Hyde Park, N.Y. : University Books

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  I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.

  George Washington

  Land, America, Atheism

  George Washington, Stephen Lucas (1999). “The Quotable George Washington: The Wisdom of an American Patriot”, p.5, Rowman & Littlefield

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• After hunger, a human's most important need is to know what is virtuous.

  Jerome Kagan

  Adversity, Humility, Important

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• The wicked can have only accomplices, the voluptuous have companions in debauchery, self-seekers have associates, the politic assemble the factions, the typical idler has connections, princes have courtiers. Only the virtuous have friends.

  Voltaire

  Funny Friendship, Real, Self

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• We can only write well about our sins because it is too difficult to recall a virtuous act or even whether it was the result of good or evil motives.

  Edward Dahlberg

  Writing, Evil, Sin

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• When love's well-timed 'tis not a fault to love;
  The strong, the brave, the virtuous, and the wise,
  Sink in the soft captivity together.

  Joseph Addison

  Life, Wise, Strong

  Joseph Addison (1860). “The works of Joseph Addison: including the whole contents of Bp. Hurd's edition, with letters and other pieces not found in any previous collection; and Macaulay's essay on his life and works”, p.427

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• The perfection of wisdom, and the end of true philosophy is to proportion our wants to our possessions, our ambitions to our capacities, we will then be a happy and a virtuous people.

  Mark Twain

  Happiness, Wisdom, Philosophy

  Mark Twain (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Mark Twain (Illustrated)”, p.2992, Delphi Classics

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