---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He that has energy enough to root out a…"
description: "\"He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place.\" — Charles Caleb Colton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/charles-caleb-colton-270_energy_he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a_1166591.png"
---

#  He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go…

![“He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place.” quote by Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/charles-caleb-colton-270_energy_he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a_1166591.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/charles-caleb-colton-270_energy_he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a_1166591.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/charles-caleb-colton-270_energy_he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a_1166591.png)

> “He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place.”

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

## About This Quote

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

Energy used to eliminate vice should also be directed to cultivate virtue.

**In simple terms:** Use energy to replace bad habits with good ones.

Key Takeaway

Channel effort into building positive habits.

Themes

self-improvement virtue morality

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

self-help philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal development
- education
- coaching

Key Concepts

psychology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What virtues can you actively nurture today?
- How do you balance correcting flaws with fostering strengths?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on vice removal may neglect virtue building.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-root-3362879/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Plant Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant-virtue-3348762/) [Root Vice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-vice-3348763/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Vice Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vice-try-3362878/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Virtue Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue-place-2663464/)

## Related quotes

> [Ponder the fact that God has made you a gardener, to root out vice and plant virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/ponder-the-fact-that-god-has-made-you-a-gardener-to-root-out-vice-and/)

[St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/)

> [He that has energy enough in his constitution to root out a vice should go a little further, and try to plant a virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/he-that-has-energy-enough-in-his-constitution-to-root-out-a-vice/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [“Stranger, what e’er thy land or creed or race, Here rest awhile, there’s virtue in the place.”     - Anonymous   A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigrid-vansandt/stranger-what-e-er-thy-land-or-creed-or-race-here-rest-awhile-there-s/)

[Sigrid Vansandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigrid-vansandt/)

> [A weed is a plant whose virtue is not yet known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-weed-is-a-plant-whose-virtue-is-not-yet-known/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Pray look upon the plants and birds, the ants, spiders, and bees, and you will see them all exerting their nature, and busy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/pray-look-upon-the-plants-and-birds-the-ants-spiders-and-bees-and-you/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [The prime communities of the Southwest are survival communities. Their sustenance is governed by rainfall and wind direction. You can study little enclaves of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-predock/the-prime-communities-of-the-southwest-are-survival-communities-their/)

[Antoine Predock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-predock/)

> [We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/we-began-as-mineral-we-emerged-into-plant-life-and-into-the-animal/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/love-and-work-are-to-people-what-water-and-sunshine-are-to-plants/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/)

[Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/)

> [There was a product on late night TV that you could attach to your garden hose - "You can water your hard-to-reach plants with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/there-was-a-product-on-late-night-tv-that-you-could-attach-to-your/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/)

[Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/)

## More by Charles Caleb Colton

> [Villainy that is vigilant will be an overmatch for virtue, if she slumber at her post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/villainy-that-is-vigilant-will-be-an-overmatch-for-virtue-if-she/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/to-dare-to-live-alone-is-the-rarest-courage-since-there-are-many-who/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [It is doubtful whether mankind are most indebted to those who like Bacon and Butler dig the gold from the mine of literature, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-doubtful-whether-mankind-are-most-indebted-to-those-who-like/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/none-are-so-fond-of-secrets-as-those-who-do-not-mean-to-keep-them/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Mental pleasures never cloy; unlike those of the body, they are increased by reputation, approved by reflection, and strengthened by enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/mental-pleasures-never-cloy-unlike-those-of-the-body-they-are/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Ignorance lies at the bottom of all human knowledge, and the deeper we penetrate, the nearer we arrive unto it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/ignorance-lies-at-the-bottom-of-all-human-knowledge-and-the-deeper-we/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Heroism, self-denial, and magnanimity, in all instances where they do not spring from a principle of religion, are but splendid altars on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/heroism-self-denial-and-magnanimity-in-all-instances-where-they-do/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [We ought not to be over-anxious to encourage innovation in cases of doubtful improvement, for an old system must ever have two advantages over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-ought-not-to-be-over-anxious-to-encourage-innovation-in-cases-of/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed, but to those who have differed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/we-owe-almost-all-our-knowledge-not-to-those-who-have-agreed-but-to/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Metaphysicians have been learning their lessons for the last four thousand years, and it is high time that they should now begin to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/metaphysicians-have-been-learning-their-lessons-for-the-last-four/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [Faith and works are necessary to our spiritual life as Christians, as soul and body are to our natural life as men; for faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/faith-and-works-are-necessary-to-our-spiritual-life-as-christians-as/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [When all moves equally (says Pascal), nothing seems to move as in a vessel under sail; and when all run by common consent into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-all-moves-equally-says-pascal-nothing-seems-to-move-as-in-a/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

[Explore all 778 Charles Caleb Colton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

## More Energy quotes

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [Performance matters because games are built on great performance, but form factor and energy efficiency matter incredibly because they want to build something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/performance-matters-because-games-are-built-on-great-performance-but/)

[Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/)

> [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/)

[Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/)

> [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/)

[Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/)

> [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/)

[Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/)

> [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/)

[Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/)

> [Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/enthusiasm-is-the-yeast-that-makes-your-hopes-shine-to-the-stars/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [I've never even been into those supplements or any of that. I don't even drink energy shakes. I'm not into that kind of stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-ve-never-even-been-into-those-supplements-or-any-of-that-i-don-t/)

[Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/)

> [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/)

[Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/)

> [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/)

[Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/)

> [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/)

[Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/)

[Browse all 12,866 Energy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Caleb Colton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a-vice-should-go-further-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Energy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a-vice-should-go-further-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/charles-caleb-colton-270_energy_he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a_1166591.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/charles-caleb-colton-270_energy_he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a_1166591.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/charles-caleb-colton-270_energy_he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a_1166591.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He that has energy enough to root out a vice should go further, and try to plant a virtue in its place.” — Charles Caleb Colton",
                "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": "Charles Caleb Colton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "He that has energy enough to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a-vice-should-go-further-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/he-that-has-energy-enough-to-root-out-a-vice-should-go-further-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
