“In truth, politeness is artificial good humor, it covers the natural want of it, and ends by rendering habitual a substitute nearly equivalent to the real virtue.”
What does it mean to be good? These quotes explore virtue, decency, kindness, and the daily choices that add up to a life well lived. Not preachy — just thoughtful observations from people trying to do right in a complicated world.
“Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person.”
“In truth, politeness is artificial good humor, it covers the natural want of it, and ends by rendering habitual a substitute nearly equivalent to the real virtue.”
“I was in enough to get along with people. I was never socially inarticulate. Not a loner. And that saved my life, saved my sanity. That and the writing. But to this day I distrust anybody who thought school was a good time. Anybody.”
“Marriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.”
“A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what he is talking about.”
“Twice and thrice over, as they say, good is it to repeat and review what is good.”
“There must always remain something that is antagonistic to good.”
“There is no principle worth the name if it is not wholly good.”
“Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.”
“The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”
“An actor is supposed to be a sensitive instrument. Isaac Stern takes good care of his violin. What if everybody jumped on his violin?”
“Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something in the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.”
“They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason.”
“Truth is the beginning of every good to the gods, and of every good to man.”
“Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings.”
“1913 wasn't a very good year. 1913 gave us the income tax, the 16th amendment and the IRS.”