Julian Baggini Quotes

Hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue.

Hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.

Virtue, once bragged about, once you pride yourself upon it, ceases to be such.

Modesty is only arrogance by stealth.

Our virtues are most frequently but vices disguised.

Often devotion to virtue arises from sated desire.

With pride, there are many curses. With humility, there come many blessings.

In England the only homage which they pay to Virtue - is hypocrisy.

Loud indignation against vice often stands for virtue in the eyes of bigots.

Some people are proud of their humility.

The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the true believer, particularly the religious individual, is a humble person. The truth is that the surrendering and humbling of the self breed pride and arrogance. The true believer is apt to see himself as one of the chosen, the salt of the earth, a prince disguised in meekness, who is destined to inherit this earth and the kingdom of heaven, too. He who is not of his faith is evil; he who will not listen shall perish.

When one becomes conscious of his great humility, he has already lost it. When one begins boasting of his humility, it has already become pride-the antithesis of humility.

To be proud of virtue, is to poison yourself with the Antidote.

If hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue, piousness is virtue paying tribute to itself.

As far as I'm concerned, I prefer silent vice to ostentatious virtue.

Virtue would go far if vanity did not keep it company.

One may be humble out of pride.

Self-righteousness, when you think about it, is a contra-indicator of self-esteem. It's what sets in when genuine righteousness eludes us.

Anyone who claims to have an entirely clear conscience is almost certainly a bore.

Modesty is a vastly overrated virtue.

I am too pure for you or anyone.

I try not to be proud. I try to actively attack pride.

The person who talks most of his own virtue is often the least virtuous.

Let a man rise to power, and he has as many virtues as will furnish an epitaph. Let him fall from power, and he has more vices than the Prodigal Son.

Power tends to confuse itself with virtue, and a great nation is particularly susceptible to the idea that its power is a sign of God's favor.