--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am more affected by the attractions of…" description: "\"I am more affected by the attractions of virtue than by the deformities of vice; I turn gently away from the wicked and I fly to meet the good. If ther..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/denis-diderot-1536_affected_i-am-more-affected-by-the-attractions-of_2751551.jpg" --- # I am more affected by the attractions of virtue than by… ![“I am more affected by the attractions of virtue than by the deformities of vice; I turn gently away from the wicked and I fly to meet the good. If there is in a literary work, in a character, in a picture, in a statue, a beautiful spot, that is where my eyes rest; I see only that, I remember only…” quote by Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/denis-diderot-1536_affected_i-am-more-affected-by-the-attractions-of_2751551.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/denis-diderot-1536_affected_i-am-more-affected-by-the-attractions-of_2751551.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/denis-diderot-1536_affected_i-am-more-affected-by-the-attractions-of_2751551.jpg) > “I am more affected by the attractions of virtue than by the deformities of vice; I turn gently away from the wicked and I fly to meet the good. If there is in a literary work, in a character, in a picture, in a statue, a beautiful spot, that is where my eyes rest; I see only that, I remember only that, all the rest is well-nigh forgotten. What becomes of me when the whole work is beautiful!” [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beauty captivates the mind, drawing focus away from vice; the soul seeks the good and forgets the rest. **In simple terms:** Beauty draws attention, eclipsing vice. Key Takeaway Seek beauty to uplift the spirit. Themes aesthetics virtue focus Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - museum visits - reading literature - creative work Key Concepts philosophy art appreciation Questions to Reflect On - How does beauty influence your moral choices? - Can you appreciate art without idealizing it? A Different Perspective Obsession with beauty can ignore moral complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Attraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attraction/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Literary work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-work/) [Literary works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-works/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vices/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [This is how I understand literature - as a kind of remix or echo chamber. What's going on in a literary work are other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-mccarthy/this-is-how-i-understand-literature-as-a-kind-of-remix-or-echo/) Tommy McCarthy > [Every few seconds a new book sees the light of day. Most of them will just be a part of the hum that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-klima/every-few-seconds-a-new-book-sees-the-light-of-day-most-of-them-will/) [Ivan Klíma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-klima/) > [SERIAL, n. A literary work, usually a story that is not true, creeping through several issues of a newspaper or magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/serial-n-a-literary-work-usually-a-story-that-is-not-true-creeping/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I enjoyed Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom.' Would I make that into a film? I think it's better suited to television. That would very much be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/i-enjoyed-jonathan-franzen-s-freedom-would-i-make-that-into-a-film-i/) [Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/) > [When we read a literary work (or, in some instances, listen to music) our imagination is stimulated, we feel various emotions, and we arrive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/when-we-read-a-literary-work-or-in-some-instances-listen-to-music-our/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [If the literature we are reading does not wake us, why then do we read it? A literary work must be an ice-axe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/if-the-literature-we-are-reading-does-not-wake-us-why-then-do-we-read/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [A literary work can only be received through symbols, through concepts - for that is what words are; but cinema, like music, allows for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/a-literary-work-can-only-be-received-through-symbols-through-concepts/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [My books are my tools, and the greater their variety and perfection the greater the help to my literary work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/my-books-are-my-tools-and-the-greater-their-variety-and-perfection/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [I plainly felt that, had God given me such a retirement with the companion I desired, I should have forgotten the work for which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/i-plainly-felt-that-had-god-given-me-such-a-retirement-with-the/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [“Of course, a literary work is a kind of nest: an elaborately and painstakingly woven nest of words incorporating chunks and fragments of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/of-course-a-literary-work-is-a-kind-of-nest-an-elaborately-and/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“The most amoral man could write a brilliant literary work. The freedom to express and create what he chose was the relevant thing, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alaa-alghamdi/the-most-amoral-man-could-write-a-brilliant-literary-work-the-freedom/) [Alaa Alghamdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alaa-alghamdi/) > [Art is solace; art is vision, and when I pick up a literary work, I am a consumer of literature for its own sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/art-is-solace-art-is-vision-and-when-i-pick-up-a-literary-work-i-am-a/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > ['Cerebus' is my attempt at a literary work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sim/cerebus-is-my-attempt-at-a-literary-work/) [Dave Sim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sim/) > [Only a literary work that reveals an unknown fragment of human existence has a reason for being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/only-a-literary-work-that-reveals-an-unknown-fragment-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“A literary work ... is, during the time one reads it, a friend with whom one has chosen to spend one's time. The question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-booth/a-literary-work-is-during-the-time-one-reads-it-a-friend-with-whom/) Wayne Booth ## More by Denis Diderot > [But if you will recall the history of our civil troubles, you will see half the nation bathe itself, out of piety, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/but-if-you-will-recall-the-history-of-our-civil-troubles-you-will-see/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [One declaims endlessly against the passions; one imputes all of man's suffering to them. One forgets that they are also the source of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/one-declaims-endlessly-against-the-passions-one-imputes-all-of-man-s/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Time, matter, space - all, it may be, are no more than a point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/time-matter-space-all-it-may-be-are-no-more-than-a-point/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/we-are-far-more-liable-to-catch-the-vices-than-the-virtues-of-our/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [One composition is meagre, though it has many figures; another is rich, though it has few.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/one-composition-is-meagre-though-it-has-many-figures-another-is-rich/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [I have only a small flickering light to guide me in the darkness of a thick forest. Up comes a theologian and blows it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/i-have-only-a-small-flickering-light-to-guide-me-in-the-darkness-of-a/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [The world is the house of the strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/the-world-is-the-house-of-the-strong/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [“One swallows the lie that flatters, but sips the bitter truth drop by drop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/one-swallows-the-lie-that-flatters-but-sips-the-bitter-truth-drop-by/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [There is less harm to be suffered in being mad among madmen than in being sane all by oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/there-is-less-harm-to-be-suffered-in-being-mad-among-madmen-than-in/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Integrity is the evidence of all civil virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/integrity-is-the-evidence-of-all-civil-virtues/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order! Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/watch-out-for-the-fellow-who-talks-about-putting-things-in-order/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [“Nie wiem, co to zasady, chyba że tak nazywamy prawidła, które przypisuje się innym, a nie sobie. Myślę tak, a nie umiałbym się powstrzymać…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/nie-wiem-co-to-zasady-chyba-e-tak-nazywamy-prawid-a-kt-re-przypisuje/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [There is no good father who would want to resemble our Heavenly Father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/there-is-no-good-father-who-would-want-to-resemble-our-heavenly-father/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Isn't it better to have men being ungrateful than to miss a chance to do good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/isn-t-it-better-to-have-men-being-ungrateful-than-to-miss-a-chance-to/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [A nation which thinks that it is belief in God and not good law which makes people honest does not seem to me very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/a-nation-which-thinks-that-it-is-belief-in-god-and-not-good-law-which/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) [Explore all 210 Denis Diderot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) ## More Affected quotes > [To tell you the truth I am hard put to think of anyone who's career was affected significantly by making all those phone calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabney-coleman/to-tell-you-the-truth-i-am-hard-put-to-think-of-anyone-who-s-career/) [Dabney Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabney-coleman/) > [First, climate change is the greatest long-term threat faced by humanity. It could cause more human and financial suffering than the two world wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/first-climate-change-is-the-greatest-long-term-threat-faced-by/) [David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/) > [Be a pattern to others, and then all will go well; for as a whole city is affected by the licentious passions and vices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/be-a-pattern-to-others-and-then-all-will-go-well-for-as-a-whole-city/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [At first I thought I would have to put on an English accent and try a sort of affected Shakespeare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-thought-i-would-have-to-put-on-an-english-accent-and-try-a/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [Every culture, if its natural development is not too much affected by political restrictions, experiences a perpetual renewal of the formative urge, and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/every-culture-if-its-natural-development-is-not-too-much-affected-by/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [Don't show them that you are affected.. Instead, show them that you are happy even without them.. To put a sad face on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharlene05/don-t-show-them-that-you-are-affected-instead-show-them-that-you-are/) Sharlene05 > [I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-wish-we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-the-private-lives-of-our/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Don't be intimidated by people who seem to be experts. Hear their points of view and get their judgements. But at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/don-t-be-intimidated-by-people-who-seem-to-be-experts-hear-their/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I have wondered why is it that some people are less affected and torn by the verities of life and death that others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-wondered-why-is-it-that-some-people-are-less-affected-and-torn/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Then, the other thing that affected my interest in choices growing up was the fact that I was going blind and that meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/then-the-other-thing-that-affected-my-interest-in-choices-growing-up/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) > [I don't think Wayne Rooney would be affected if you booed him, that's just how he is, but others go under. They really suffer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lampard/i-don-t-think-wayne-rooney-would-be-affected-if-you-booed-him-that-s/) [Frank Lampard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lampard/) > [I'm not good at standing on platforms and persuading people to my political point of view. Nor would I seek to. My gift is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/i-m-not-good-at-standing-on-platforms-and-persuading-people-to-my/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [I was trying to hold up a mirror to this country, to reflect the past years or so, and the varying degrees in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-was-trying-to-hold-up-a-mirror-to-this-country-to-reflect-the-past/) [Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/) > [We know COVID-19 hasn't affected communities equally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/we-know-covid-19-hasn-t-affected-communities-equally/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) Browse all 1,050 Affected quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am more affected by the attractions of virtue than by the deformities of vice; I turn gently away from the wicked and I fly to meet the good. 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