---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Virtue is a system and men do heroic acts…"
description: "\"“Virtue is a system and men do heroic acts as part of the day's work and without self-consciousness.”\" — Charles H. Cooley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/charles-h-cooley-100573_character_virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-act_2805964.jpg"
---

#  Virtue is a system and men do heroic acts as part of the…

![“Virtue is a system and men do heroic acts as part of the day's work and without self-consciousness.” quote by Charles H. Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/charles-h-cooley-100573_character_virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-act_2805964.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/charles-h-cooley-100573_character_virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-act_2805964.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/charles-h-cooley-100573_character_virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-act_2805964.jpg)

> ““Virtue is a system and men do heroic acts as part of the day's work and without self-consciousness.””

Charles H. Cooley

## About This Quote

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

Virtue and heroic acts are ordinary parts of daily life when done without self‑consciousness.

**In simple terms:** Everyday actions can be heroic without ego.

Key Takeaway

Act virtuously without seeking recognition.

Themes

Virtue Heroism Humility Everyday ethics Selflessness

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- Workplace
- Community service
- Family life
- Personal habits

Key Concepts

Moral philosophy Social behavior Ethics Altruism Psychology of humility

Questions to Reflect On

- What small acts of virtue can you practice?
- How does humility affect your actions?

A Different Perspective

Heroic acts may be unnoticed; stay motivated.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) [Heroic acts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic-acts/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/)

## Related quotes

> [Geography was not furthered by the achievement, scientific progress was scarcely hastened, and nothing new was discovered. Yet the names of Hillary and Tenzing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/geography-was-not-furthered-by-the-achievement-scientific-progress/)

[Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/)

> [Commonplace though it may appear, this doing of one's duty embodies the highest ideal of life and character. There may be nothing heroic about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/commonplace-though-it-may-appear-this-doing-of-one-s-duty-embodies/)

[Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/)

> [We all recall the cruel stepmother in fairy tales. That archetype is often a necessary element in a fairy tale so that the heroine/hero…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-richo/we-all-recall-the-cruel-stepmother-in-fairy-tales-that-archetype-is/)

[David Richo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-richo/)

> [Im all about entertaining and keeping a reader on the edge of their seat, so to me, the social issues have to be meaningful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-gross/im-all-about-entertaining-and-keeping-a-reader-on-the-edge-of-their/)

[Andrew Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-gross/)

> [ Apart from a couple that were just having fun with the concept and making fun of \[Donald\] Trump - like the one we did… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/apart-from-a-couple-that-were-just-having-fun-with-the-concept-and/)

[Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/)

> [Heroes come in all sizes, and you don't have to be a giant hero. You can be a very small hero. It's just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/heroes-come-in-all-sizes-and-you-don-t-have-to-be-a-giant-hero-you/)

[George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/)

> [Courage is a terribly important value. It means you don't run away when things are tough. It means you don't turn away from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/courage-is-a-terribly-important-value-it-means-you-don-t-run-away/)

[George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/)

> [But despite their heroic acts, the Vietnam Veterans of America continued to struggle to establish a combat badge in honor of these brave pilots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-holden/but-despite-their-heroic-acts-the-vietnam-veterans-of-america/)

[Tim Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-holden/)

> [The men that have been the most heroic for God have had the greatest devotional lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/the-men-that-have-been-the-most-heroic-for-god-have-had-the-greatest/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Make them free, and they will quickly become wise and virtous, as men become more so; for the improvement must be mutual, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/make-them-free-and-they-will-quickly-become-wise-and-virtous-as-men/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/)

> [Popularity is a crime from the moment it is sought; it is only a virtue where men have it whether they will or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-savile/popularity-is-a-crime-from-the-moment-it-is-sought-it-is-only-a/)

[George Savile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-savile/)

> [“So help me, all it takes for the world to crumble to nothing is for women to lose their virtue and men their honor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-johnson/so-help-me-all-it-takes-for-the-world-to-crumble-to-nothing-is-for/)

[Rick Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-johnson/)

> [“Virtue . . . is the same for men and for women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antisthenes/virtue-is-the-same-for-men-and-for-women/)

[Antisthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antisthenes/)

> [To love their country has been considered as virtue in men, whose love could not be otherwise than blind, because their preference was made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/to-love-their-country-has-been-considered-as-virtue-in-men-whose-love/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [It is your virtue, being men, to try; And it is ours, by virtue to deny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-drayton/it-is-your-virtue-being-men-to-try-and-it-is-ours-by-virtue-to-deny/)

[Michael Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-drayton/)

## More by Charles H. Cooley

> [“The unhappiness of men, maintained by Socrates, depends upon their badness being brought home to them in conscience. If, because of their insensibility or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-cooley/the-unhappiness-of-men-maintained-by-socrates-depends-upon-their/)

Charles H. Cooley

Explore all 2 Charles H. Cooley quotes

## 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": "“Virtue is a system and men do heroic acts as part of the day's work and without self-consciousness.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles H. Cooley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-cooley/virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-acts-as-part-of-the-day-s-work/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-cooley/virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-acts-as-part-of-the-day-s-work/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/charles-h-cooley-100573_character_virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-act_2805964.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/charles-h-cooley-100573_character_virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-act_2805964.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d7/charles-h-cooley-100573_character_virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-act_2805964.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Virtue is a system and men do heroic acts as part of the day's work and without self-consciousness.” — Charles H. Cooley",
                "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 H. Cooley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-cooley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Virtue is a system and men...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-cooley/virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-acts-as-part-of-the-day-s-work/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-cooley/virtue-is-a-system-and-men-do-heroic-acts-as-part-of-the-day-s-work/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
