E. O. Wilson Quotes

Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing, like pain or a particular smell.

Good moral character is the first essential in a man.

Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.

Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent.

I have seen men incapable of the sciences, but never any incapable of virtue.

When some English moralists write about the importance of having character, they appear to mean only the importance of having a dull character.

Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! Virtue is at hand.

Without virtue, happiness cannot be.

Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it, piece by piece - by thought, choice, courage, and determination.

Remember what Bogie and my mother both used to say: 'Character is the most important thing. All that matters is character!'

Only a man's character is the real criterion of worth

A good moral character is the first essential. It is highly important not only to be learned but to be virtuous.

. . . Virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible. These are the tactics we should study. If we lose these, we are conquered, fallen indeed . . . so long as our manners and principles remain sound, there is no danger.

Virtue is not always amiable.

The greatest work in all the world is the building of men and women of character. Without character there is not much that is worthwhile.

A good conscience is eight parts of courage.

Virtue and decency are so nearly related that it is difficult to separate them from each other but in our imagination.

Integrity, like humility, is a quality which vanishes the moment we are conscious of it in ourselves. We see it only in others.

There is no greater wealth than Virtue,And no greater loss than to forget it.

Be virtuous and you will be eccentric.

To be good and disagreeable is high treason against the royalty of virtue.

Let thy virtue be too high for the familiarity of names, and if thou must speak of it, be not ashamed to stammer about it.

Nothing of character is really permanent but virtue and personal worth.

And what, incidentally, do you think integrity is? The ability not to pick a watch out of your neighbor's pocket? No, it's not as easy as that. If that were all, I'd say ninety-five percent of humanity were honest, upright men. Only, as you can see, they aren't. Integrity is the ability to stand by an idea.