Character Quote by C.S. Lewis
““Plato rightly taught that virtue is one. You cannot be kind unless you have all the other virtues. If, being cowardly, conceited, and slothful, you have never yet done a fellow creature great mischief, that is only because your neighbour's welfare has not yet happened to conflict with your safety, self-approval, or ease. Every vice leads to cruelty.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, 1942
Virtue is a unified whole; lacking one moral quality undermines all others, and vice versa.
In simple terms: Virtue is one, not separate parts.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate all virtues together.
Themes
morality
integrity
character
virtue
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- personal development
- leadership
- conflict resolution
- ethical decision making
Key Concepts
ethical unity
interdependence
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you prioritize conflicting virtues?
- Can one virtue truly exist without others?
A Different Perspective
Virtues can be context‑dependent and hard to balance simultaneously.
![“[Children] are taught that it is a virtue to accept statements without adequate evidence, which leaves them a prey to quacks of every kind in later life, and makes it very difficult for them to accept the methods of thought which are successful in science.” quote by John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7a1/john-b-s-haldane-10480_accepting_children-are-taught-that-it-is-a-virtue_2704903.jpg)
