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Someone may ask, 'How is justice greater than all the other virtues?' The other virtues gratify the one who possesses them; justice does not give pleasure to the one possessing it, but instead pleases others.
St. Jerome
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Justice prioritizes the well-being of others over self-pleasure.

This quote by St. Jerome emphasizes the intrinsic value of justice as a virtue that serves the greater good, rather than simply fulfilling the desires of an individual. Unlike other virtues that can provide personal gratification, justice is about making sacrifices for the benefit of others, highlighting its superior ethical standing in a moral framework.

Themes

JusticeVirtueSelflessnessMoralityEthics

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about community service, one might quote this to highlight the importance of contributing to society.

More from St. Jerome

Strictly speaking, one should not even rightly compare virginity to marriage because you cannot make a comparison between two things if one is good and the other evil.
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Thank God I am deemed worthy to be hated by the world.
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The Church was founded upon Peter: although elsewhere the same is attributed to all the Apostles, and they all receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the strength of the Church depends upon them all alike, yet one among the twelve is chosen so that when a head has been appointed, there may be no occasion for schism.
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Either we must speak as we dress, or dress as we speak. Why do we profess one thing and display another? The tongue talks of chastity, but the whole body reveals impurity.
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Beauty when unadorned is adorned the most.
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To ignore Scripture is to ignore Christ.
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