Quotes about Virtues

In his brilliant book The Road to Character, David Brooks makes a distinction between résumé virtues and eulogy virtues. Résumé virtues are the skills you need to make a living, and those are often the most celebrated virtues in our culture. But when it comes to making a life, eulogy virtues win the day. These are the virtues that get talked about at your funeral.

Nature, who for the perfect maintenance of the laws of her general equilibrium, has sometimes need of vices and sometimes of virtues, inspires now this impulse, now that one, in accordance with what she requires.

Therefore neither discipline nor other virtues which can be invented by the will, nor works taken upon oneself, no matter how difficult, merit forgiveness of sins or reconcile us with God, but only faith in the Son of God.

The true God has never yet smiled upon a person for his charity or virtues, but only for the sake of Christ's merits.

A good preacher should have these properties and virtues: 1. Teach systematically 2. Have a ready wit 3. Be eloquent 4. Have a good voice 5. Have a good memory 6. Know when to make an end 7. Be sure of his doctrine 8. Venture and engage body and blood, wealth and honour, in the Word 9. Suffer himself to be mocked and jeered of every one

And so we shall have to do more than register and more than vote; we shall have to create leaders who embody virtues we can respect, who have moral and ethical principles we can applaud with enthusiasm.

Part of the problem about authenticity is that virtues aren't the only things that are habit forming: the more someone behaves in a way that is damaging to self or to others, the more "natural" it will both seem and actually be. Spontaneity, left to itself, can begin by excusing bad behavior and end by congratulating vice.

Beware of making your moral staple consist of the negative virtues.

Our natural virtues can never come anywhere near what Jesus Christ wants.

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.

gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.