Virtue Quote by Augustine of Hippo
““...Though exposed to the same anguish, virtue and vice are not the same thing. For as the same fire causes gold to glow brightly, and chaff to smoke; and under the same flail the straw is beaten small, while the grain is cleansed; and as the lees are not mixed with the oil, though squeezed out of the vat by the same pressure, so the same violence of affliction proves, purges, clarifies the good, but damns, ruins, exterminates the wicked.””
About This Quote
Source Treat: Confessions, Book VIII, 400 AD
Adversity refines virtue like fire refines gold, while the wicked are destroyed.
In simple terms: Hardship tests character; good thrives, evil perishes.
Key Takeaway
Embrace challenges to reveal true character.
Themes
virtue
adversity
refinement
morality
Mood
contemplative
serious
Type
spiritual
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal trials
- societal crises
- ethical dilemmas
- spiritual growth
Key Concepts
Theology
philosophy
alchemy
Questions to Reflect On
- What hardships have shaped your values?
- Can suffering ever be wholly negative?
A Different Perspective
Not all suffering leads to growth; some may cause lasting harm.
![“Time takes no holiday. It does not roll idly by, but through our senses works its own wonders in the mind. Time came and went from one day to the next; in its coming and its passing it brought me other hopes and other memories. [quoted in Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo, p. 54]” quote by Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7c2/augustine-of-hippo-2589_change_time-takes-no-holiday-it-does-not-roll-i_22609.jpg)
![“For her [Françoise], wealth was like a necessary condition without which virtue would lack both merit and charm. She made so little distinction between the two that she came to see their qualities as interchangeable, expecting material comfort from virtue and moral edification from wealth.” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/573/marcel-proust-114_character_for-her-fran-oise-wealth-was-like-a-nece_2687.jpg)
