Quotes about Virtue

In brief, trust not in any who exalt you, but in those who humiliate you. For this is the judgment of God:

To know Christ is to know goodness and discipline.

The gospel also is not a law book that contains many good teachings, as has been thought in the past. It doesn't tell us to do good works to become virtuous but announces God's grace to us, given freely and without our merit. It tells us how Christ stood as our representative. He paid for our sins and wiped them out so that we can become faithful and blessed through his work.

Thus a Christian, being consecrated by his faith, does good works; but he is not by these works made a more sacred person, or more a Christian.

True, then, are these two sayings: "Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works";

Therefore conquering pride, restraining riotous living, crucifying the flesh, these are great beyond all the power of men.

Hence one should follow the advice of the hermit to whom a youth complained that he rather often experienced imaginations concerned with lusts and other sins and to whom the old man replied: "You cannot prevent the birds from flying over your head. But let them only fly and do not let them build nests in the hair of your head. Let them be thoughts and remain such; but do not let them become conclusions."32

and whatever good Germany has is not the result of her own power, virtue, or wisdom, but has been received from those rejected, despised, and accursed people who are called Christians

For whatever is said against a righteous man is said indirectly against God, who is in the righteous.

True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud from the contemplation of so fine a virtue.

I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.

Chastity is the cement of civilization and progress. Without it there is no stability in society, and without it one cannot attain the Science of Life.