The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
Weakness is more opposed to virtue than is vice.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Weakness hinders moral excellence more than wrongdoing does.
This quote suggests that a lack of strength or resolve is a greater barrier to achieving virtue than outright immoral actions. It implies that those who are weak often fail to uphold moral standards, thereby posing a more significant challenge to virtue compared to those who might knowingly commit vices despite possibly having the strength to choose better.
Themes
WeaknessVirtueMoralStrengthCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about personal development, you could use this quote to emphasize the importance of building inner strength.
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The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again.
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To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
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