---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In spiritual issues--(by \"spiritual\" I…"
description: "\"“In spiritual issues--(by \"spiritual\" I mean: \"pertaining to man's consciousness\")--a trader is a man who does not seek to be loved for his weaknesses ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/ayn-rand-59_character_in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean_1588041.jpg"
---

#  In spiritual issues--(by "spiritual" I mean: "pertaining…

![“In spiritual issues--(by &quot;spiritual&quot; I mean: &quot;pertaining to man's consciousness&quot;)--a trader is a man who does not seek to be loved for his weaknesses or flaws, only for his virtues, and who does not grant his love to the weaknesses or the flaws of others, only to their virtues.” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/ayn-rand-59_character_in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean_1588041.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/ayn-rand-59_character_in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean_1588041.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/ayn-rand-59_character_in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean_1588041.jpg)

> ““In spiritual issues--(by "spiritual" I mean: "pertaining to man's consciousness")--a trader is a man who does not seek to be loved for his weaknesses or flaws, only for his virtues, and who does not grant his love to the weaknesses or the flaws of others, only to their virtues.””

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A trader should be valued for virtues, not weaknesses, and should love only virtues in others.

**In simple terms:** Value virtue, not flaw.

Key Takeaway

Seek and give love based on virtue.

Themes

virtue relationships values self‑respect

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- business partnerships
- friendship selection
- leadership evaluation

Key Concepts

objectivism ethical standards personal integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you love people for their strengths or their flaws?
- How does focusing on virtue affect relationships?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting empathy can alienate those needing support.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [“A trader is a man who earns what he gets and does not give or take the undeserved. He does not treat men as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-trader-is-a-man-who-earns-what-he-gets-and-does-not-give-or-take/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [A trader is a man who earns what he gets and does not give or take the undeserved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galt/a-trader-is-a-man-who-earns-what-he-gets-and-does-not-give-or-take-2/)

[John Galt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galt/)

> [“If Jesus Christ had only risen from the dead as a spirit, as a ghost, then His only victory and His only saving power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rousas-john-rushdoony/if-jesus-christ-had-only-risen-from-the-dead-as-a-spirit-as-a-ghost/)

[Rousas John Rushdoony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rousas-john-rushdoony/)

> [“An Individualist is a man who lives for his own sake and by his own mind; he neither sacrifices himself to others nor sacrifices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/an-individualist-is-a-man-who-lives-for-his-own-sake-and-by-his-own/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Prudence is what makes someone a great commodities trader - the capacity to face reality squarely in the eye without allowing emotion or ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/prudence-is-what-makes-someone-a-great-commodities-trader-the/)

[John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/)

> [The single most important advice I can give anybody is: Learn from your mistakes. That is the only way to become a successful trader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ryan/the-single-most-important-advice-i-can-give-anybody-is-learn-from/)

[David Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ryan/)

> [I don't think you can consistently be a winning trader if you're banking on being right more than 50 percent of the time. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-lipschutz/i-don-t-think-you-can-consistently-be-a-winning-trader-if-you-re/)

[Bill Lipschutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-lipschutz/)

> [Never ask a trader if he is profitable: you can easily see it in his gesture and gait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/never-ask-a-trader-if-he-is-profitable-you-can-easily-see-it-in-his/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [A good trader has to have three things: a chronic inability to accept things at face value, to feel continuously unsettled, and to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steinhardt/a-good-trader-has-to-have-three-things-a-chronic-inability-to-accept/)

[Michael Steinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steinhardt/)

> [It is literally true that millions come easier to a trader after he knows how to trade, than hundreds did in the days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-lauriston-livermore/it-is-literally-true-that-millions-come-easier-to-a-trader-after-he/)

[Jesse Lauriston Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-lauriston-livermore/)

> [I'm a big free trader. But it has to be fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-a-big-free-trader-but-it-has-to-be-fair/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [A successful trader studies human nature and does the opposite of what the general public does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-delbert-gann/a-successful-trader-studies-human-nature-and-does-the-opposite-of/)

William Delbert Gann

> [I was a trader for a company. That's different from the brokers who we sort of disdain as sort of just errand boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/i-was-a-trader-for-a-company-that-s-different-from-the-brokers-who-we/)

[Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/)

> [The truth is that once you get down on the trading floor, you find that the traders come from all walks of life. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bradford-raschke/the-truth-is-that-once-you-get-down-on-the-trading-floor-you-find/)

[Linda Bradford Raschke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bradford-raschke/)

> [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/)

[Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/)

## More by Ayn Rand

> [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“She moved her hand and let it rest against his. He did not withdraw his fingers and he did not pretend indifference. She bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-moved-her-hand-and-let-it-rest-against-his-he-did-not-withdraw/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“There was still one response, the greatest, that she had missed. She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? And your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-felt-it-too-have-you-seen-how-your-best-friends-love/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [We are all brothers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-all-brothers-under-the-skin-and-i-for-one-would-be-willing-to/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

[Explore all 1,777 Ayn Rand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

## More Character quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

David Hudgins

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In spiritual issues--(by \"spiritual\" I mean: \"pertaining to man's consciousness\")--a trader is a man who does not seek to be loved for his weaknesses or flaws, only for his virtues, and who does not grant his love to the weaknesses or the flaws of others, only to their virtues.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ayn Rand"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean-pertaining-to-man-s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean-pertaining-to-man-s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/ayn-rand-59_character_in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean_1588041.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/ayn-rand-59_character_in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean_1588041.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/ayn-rand-59_character_in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean_1588041.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In spiritual issues--(by \"spiritual\" I mean: \"pertaining to man's consciousness\")--a trader is a man who…” — Ayn Rand",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ayn Rand",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In spiritual issues--(by \"spiritual\" I mean:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean-pertaining-to-man-s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/in-spiritual-issues-by-spiritual-i-mean-pertaining-to-man-s/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
