{"quotes":[{"text":"An inexhaustible capacity to engage in sin is what makes human beings capable of living a virtuous life. To err is human; to seek penance is humankind’s unique act of salvation. Whenever a person fails, it is often their overwhelming sense of anguish that drives them forward to make a second attempt that is far more bighearted than they originally envisioned. The need for redemption drives us to try again despite our backside enduring the terrible weight of our greatest catastrophes. There is no person as magnanimous as a person whom finally encountered tremendous success after previously enduring a tear-filled trail of hardships and repeated setbacks. In an effort to redeem our lost dignity, in an effort to regain self-respect, we find our true selves. By working independently to better ourselves and struggling to fulfill our cherished values, we save ourselves while coincidentally uplifting all of humanity.","author":"Kilroy J. Oldster","tags":["adversity","authentic","authentic-self","error","failure","failure-and-success","failure","forgiveness","forgiveness","forgiving-yourself","hardship","penance","redemption","regret","regret","regrets","remorse","salvation","self-discovery","self-discovery","self-improvement","self-improvement","self-respect","self-respect","shame","shame","sin","true-selves","trying","virtue","virtue","virtuous","virtuous-life","virtuous-person"],"id":27257,"author_id":"Kilroy+J.+Oldster"},{"text":"I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind — that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking.I believe that no discovery of fact, however trivial, can be wholly useless to the race, and that no trumpeting of falsehood, however virtuous in intent, can be anything but vicious.I believe that the evidence for immortality is no better than the evidence of witches, and deserves no more respect.I believe in the complete freedom of thought and speech — alike for the humblest man and the mightiest, and in the utmost freedom of conduct that is consistent with living in organized society.I believe in the capacity of man to conquer his world, and to find out what it is made of, and how it is run.I believe in the reality of progress.I —But the whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant.","author":"H.L. Mencken","tags":["belief","capacity","conquer","curse","damage","discovery","ethics","evidence","fact","falsehood","free","freedom","freedom-of-speech","freedom-of-thought","honesty","humble","ignorance","immorality","intent","know","knowledge","lie","mankind","mighty","progress","reality","religion","respect","slave","society","speech","thinking","thought","truth","vicious","virtuous","witches"],"id":79159,"author_id":"H.L.+Mencken"},{"text":"Look, Miranda, he said, those twenty long years that lie between you and me. I've more knowledge of life than you, I've lived more and betrayed more and seen more betrayed. At your age one is bursting with ideals. You think that because I can sometimes see what's trivial and what's important in art that I ought to be more virtuous. But I don't want to be virtuous. My charm (if there is any) for you is simply frankness. And experience. Not goodness. I'm not a good man. Perhaps morally I'm younger even than you are. Can you understand that?","author":"John Fowles","tags":["art","betray","betrayal","betrayed","bursting","charm","experience","frank","frankness","good","goodness","ideal","ideals","important","knowledge","life","old","older","trivial","understand","virtue","virtuous","years","young","younger"],"id":81021,"author_id":"John+Fowles"},{"text":"Don't allow yourself to be fooled by how 'nice' a person appears to be, measure a person's virtuousness by the way in which they treat others with their words and actions .","author":"Miya Yamanouchi","tags":["actions","behaviour","character","deluded","fooled","insight","language","nice","nice-guy","virtue","virtuous","virtuousness","wisdom","words"],"id":83677,"author_id":"Miya+Yamanouchi"},{"text":"We distill happiness from garnering joy in the ordinary fragments of life, while dedicating personal effort to creating a body of work that one can look back on their deathbed and be satisfied with achieving. Happiness comes from living beautifully, which necessarily involves reason in thought and speech (logos), and leading an ethical and virtuous life devoted to achieving worthy goals.","author":"Kilroy J. Oldster","tags":["ethical","ethical-behavior","happiness","happiness","happy-life","virtue","virtue","virtuous","virtuous-person"],"id":88978,"author_id":"Kilroy+J.+Oldster"},{"text":"If a nation and any nation on this earth could raise up the standard of personal responsibility in their society, you will in no time see a nation of virtuous people, developed and civilized.","author":"Sunday Adelaja","tags":["dveloped","earth","nation","personal","responsibility","society","virtuous"],"id":123869,"author_id":"Sunday+Adelaja"},{"text":"Virtues are common, but the virtuous are very few. This is because ordinarily, people know but do not apply what they know. To break the culture, look for more information; learn more and apply more. This is wisdom.","author":"Israelmore Ayivor","tags":["apply","break","break-the-culture","common","culture","few","fewer","food-for-thought","inform","information","israelmore-ayivor","know","knowledge","learn","many","more","ordinary","people","read","uncommon","virtue","virtues","virtuous","wisdom"],"id":129751,"author_id":"Israelmore+Ayivor"},{"text":"There are few virtuous women who are not bored with their trade.","author":"Francois de La Rochefoucauld","tags":["bored","trade","virtuous "],"id":160705,"author_id":"Francois+de+La+Rochefoucauld"},{"text":"Socrates: (...)They should not pit themselves against the will of the Gods in thought or deed. Here lies the true path of virtue and happiness. The other way is arrogance, pride and hubris. It ends in tragedy, as we all well know from the Theatre.Hermogenes: Thank you Socrates. Does this also mean that what the Gods will is always virtuous and must be the Good?Socrates: Yes. There is no other basis for the Good.","author":"Alan Jacobs \"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"Socrates Without Tears\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"","tags":["good","socrates","virtuous"],"id":176637,"author_id":"Alan+Jacobs+%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22Socrates+Without+Tears%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22%22"},{"text":"When someone is angry and hateful toward you ~ they spit out all kinds of venom, to inflict you with unnecessary hurt and pain. But when you know who you are within, and you stand by your truth, their venom cannot poison you, its arrow turns and points straight back at them! To be humble and virtuous is a trait of the noble and the righteous.","author":"Angie karan","tags":["anger","angie-karan","hate","humble","hurt","noble","pain","righteous","truth","venom","virtuous"],"id":187233,"author_id":"Angie+karan"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":29,"pages":3,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}