--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whilst shame keeps its watch, virtue is…" description: "\"Whilst shame keeps its watch, virtue is not wholly extinguished in the heart; nor will moderation be utterly exiled from the minds of tyrants.\" — Edmun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/edmund-burke-400_character_whilst-shame-keeps-its-watch-virtue-is-n_2683164.jpg" --- # Whilst shame keeps its watch, virtue is not wholly… ![“Whilst shame keeps its watch, virtue is not wholly extinguished in the heart; nor will moderation be utterly exiled from the minds of tyrants.” quote by Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/edmund-burke-400_character_whilst-shame-keeps-its-watch-virtue-is-n_2683164.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/edmund-burke-400_character_whilst-shame-keeps-its-watch-virtue-is-n_2683164.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a81/edmund-burke-400_character_whilst-shame-keeps-its-watch-virtue-is-n_2683164.jpg) > “Whilst shame keeps its watch, virtue is not wholly extinguished in the heart; nor will moderation be utterly exiled from the minds of tyrants.” [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shame watches over us, but virtue persists; moderation survives even in tyrants. **In simple terms:** Virtue endures despite shame and tyranny. Key Takeaway Maintain moral standards. Themes ethics virtue political theory Mood serious reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - personal integrity - social governance Key Concepts morality self‑control Questions to Reflect On - How do you uphold virtue under pressure? - Can moderation survive in corrupt systems? A Different Perspective Tyranny can suppress virtue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Moderation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moderation/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Tyrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrants/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [There is no wisdom in useless and hopeless sorrow, but there is something in it so like virtue, that he who is wholly without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/there-is-no-wisdom-in-useless-and-hopeless-sorrow-but-there-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“If pride is what goes before a fall, the shame is what keeps you from getting up after one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/if-pride-is-what-goes-before-a-fall-the-shame-is-what-keeps-you-from/) [max lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“It's shame that lines my pockets, shame that keeps the Barrel teeming with fools ready to put on a mask just so they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/it-s-shame-that-lines-my-pockets-shame-that-keeps-the-barrel-teeming/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [“Ignorance leads men into a party, and shame keeps them from getting out again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/ignorance-leads-men-into-a-party-and-shame-keeps-them-from-getting/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I know that many have been taught to think that moderation, in a case like this, is a sort of treason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/i-know-that-many-have-been-taught-to-think-that-moderation-in-a-case/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [My good friends, while I do most earnestly recommend you to take care of your health and safety, as things most precious to us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/my-good-friends-while-i-do-most-earnestly-recommend-you-to-take-care/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“Kings will be tyrants by policy when subjects are rebels from principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/kings-will-be-tyrants-by-policy-when-subjects-are-rebels-from/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Many of the greatest tyrants on the records of history have begun their reigns in the fairest manner. 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