Laurence Sterne Quotes

There is indeed a certain sense of gratification when we do a good deed that gives us inward satisfaction, and a generous pride that accompanies a good conscience…These testimonies of a good conscience are pleasant; and such a natural pleasure is very beneficial to us; it is the only payment that can never fail. “On Repentance

If your desire for 'good' is based on greed, it is not good, but greed.

It's better to die doing good than to live doing evil.

The only word for goodness is goodness, and it is not enough.

To do evil for good is human corruption; to do good for good is civil retribution; but to do good for evil is Christian perfection. Though this be not the grace of nature, it is the nature of grace.

That which is selfish is immoral, and that which is unselfish is moral.

There is but on virtue--the eternal sacrifice of self.

I never did a right thing or abstained from a wrong one from any consideration of reward or punishment.

The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance.

When you have done a good deed that another has had the benefit of, why do you need a third reward-as fools do-praise for having done well or looking for a favor in return.

So far as regards their moral character, the Finns have as little cause for reproach as any other people.

If you have embraced a creed which appears to be free from the ordinary dirtiness of politics - a creed from which you yourself cannot expect to draw any material advantage - surely that proves that you are in the right?

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

For the beautiful word begets the beautiful deed.

Integrity means being whole, unbroken, undivided. It describes a person who has united the different parts of his or her personality, so there is no longer a split in the soul ... For the person of integrity, life may not be easy but it is simple: Figure out what is right and do it. All other considerations come in second.

It's Not sacrifice if it's someone else's life you're giving away, it's just evil.

Reaching into one's own pocket to assist his fellow man is noble and worthy of praise. Reaching into another person's pocket to assist one's fellow man is despicable and worthy of condemnation.

Let no man be sorry he has done good, because others have done evil.

Virtue is nothing but an act of loving that which is to be beloved, and that act is prudence, from whence not to be removed by constraint is fortitude; not to be allured by enticements is temperance; not to be diverted by pride is justice.

We care about moral issues, nobility, decency, happiness, goodness—the issues that matter in the real world, but which can only be addressed, in their purity, in fiction.

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

It is impossible to be just if one is not generous.

The generous person is always just, and the just who is always generous may, unannounced, approach the throne of heaven.

I do what I do without hope of reward or fear of punishment. I do not require Heaven or Hell to bribe or scare me into acting decently.