--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who would ever care to do brave deed, Or…" description: "\"Who would ever care to do brave deed, Or strive in virtue others to excel, If none should yield him his deserved meed Due praise, that is the spur of d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/edmund-spenser-2090_brave_who-would-ever-care-to-do-brave-deed-or_3081411.png" --- # Who would ever care to do brave deed, Or strive in virtue… ![“Who would ever care to do brave deed, Or strive in virtue others to excel, If none should yield him his deserved meed Due praise, that is the spur of doing well? For if good were not praised more than ill, None would choose goodness of his own free will.” quote by Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/edmund-spenser-2090_brave_who-would-ever-care-to-do-brave-deed-or_3081411.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/edmund-spenser-2090_brave_who-would-ever-care-to-do-brave-deed-or_3081411.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/235/edmund-spenser-2090_brave_who-would-ever-care-to-do-brave-deed-or_3081411.png) > “Who would ever care to do brave deed, Or strive in virtue others to excel, If none should yield him his deserved meed Due praise, that is the spur of doing well? For if good were not praised more than ill, None would choose goodness of his own free will.” [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If good deeds go unpraised, people may lack motivation to act virtuously, relying on external rewards rather than intrinsic values. **In simple terms:** Praise drives good actions. Key Takeaway Seek internal virtue beyond applause. Themes morality motivation recognition Mood thoughtful analytical Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - education - workplace - public service - personal ethics - null Key Concepts intrinsic vs extrinsic reward human nature Questions to Reflect On - Do you act ethically when unnoticed? - What internal rewards sustain your virtue? A Different Perspective Some act morally without praise, driven by conscience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [For if good were not praised more than ill, None would chuse goodness of his own free will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/for-if-good-were-not-praised-more-than-ill-none-would-chuse-goodness/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [What we need now are heroes and heroines, about a million of them, one brave deed is worth a thousand books. Sentiment without action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/what-we-need-now-are-heroes-and-heroines-about-a-million-of-them-one/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [One brave deed makes no hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/one-brave-deed-makes-no-hero/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [“Philosophy without action is the ruin of the soul. One brave deed is worth a hundred books, a thousand theories, a million words. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/philosophy-without-action-is-the-ruin-of-the-soul-one-brave-deed-is/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [ \[Research\] suggests that what we think of as free will is largely an illusion: much of the time, we are simply operating on automatic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/research-suggests-that-what-we-think-of-as-free-will-is-largely-an/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/fame-is-the-spur-that-the-clear-spirit-doth-raise/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Patriotism is a salt against rottenness, a glorious spur to high endeavour; it recovers the half-obliterated virtue of loyalty, calls every man to service,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-dearmer/patriotism-is-a-salt-against-rottenness-a-glorious-spur-to-high/) Percy Dearmer > [Hunger's a great spur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-carlyle/hunger-s-a-great-spur/) [Robert Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-carlyle/) > [Vanity is often the unseen spur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/vanity-is-often-the-unseen-spur/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Girly’ products can spur Japan’s growth in this century every bit as much as, if not more than, the ‘manly’ technologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morinosuke-kawaguchi/girly-products-can-spur-japan-s-growth-in-this-century-every-bit-as/) [Morinosuke Kawaguchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morinosuke-kawaguchi/) > [I spent so long at Spurs that it's my club. If I was to become a good coach then that would be by DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mason/i-spent-so-long-at-spurs-that-it-s-my-club-if-i-was-to-become-a-good/) [Ryan Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mason/) > [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [If you don't have to drag yourself off the field exhausted after 90 minutes, you can't claim to have done your best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nichols/if-you-don-t-have-to-drag-yourself-off-the-field-exhausted-after-90/) [Bill Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nichols/) > [Each one of us requires the spur of insecurity to force us to do our best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-w-dodds/each-one-of-us-requires-the-spur-of-insecurity-to-force-us-to-do-our/) Harold W. Dodds ## More by Edmund Spenser > [“All this world's glory seemeth vain to me, And all their shows but shadows, saving she.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/all-this-world-s-glory-seemeth-vain-to-me-and-all-their-shows-but/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [The merry cuckow, messenger of Spring, His trumpet shrill hath thrice already sounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/the-merry-cuckow-messenger-of-spring-his-trumpet-shrill-hath-thrice/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [Much can they praise the trees so straight and high, The sailing pine,the cedar proud and tall, The vine-prop elm, the poplar never dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/much-can-they-praise-the-trees-so-straight-and-high-the-sailing-pine/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [All flesh doth frailty breed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/all-flesh-doth-frailty-breed/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [“The whiles some one did chaunt this louely lay; Ah see, who so faire thing doest faine to see, In springing flowre the image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/the-whiles-some-one-did-chaunt-this-louely-lay-ah-see-who-so-faire/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [Fretting grief the enemy of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/fretting-grief-the-enemy-of-life/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [Make haste therefore, sweet love, whilst it is prime, For none can call again the passed time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/make-haste-therefore-sweet-love-whilst-it-is-prime-for-none-can-call/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [In one consort there sat cruel revenge and rancorous despite, disloyal treason and heart-burning hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/in-one-consort-there-sat-cruel-revenge-and-rancorous-despite-disloyal/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [Good is no good, but if it be spend, God giveth good for none other end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/good-is-no-good-but-if-it-be-spend-god-giveth-good-for-none-other-end/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [“There is nothing lost, but may be found, if sought. (No hay nada perdido, que no pueda encontrarse, si se lo busca)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/there-is-nothing-lost-but-may-be-found-if-sought-no-hay-nada-perdido/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [“It is the mynd, that maketh good or ill, That maketh wretch or happie, rich or poore: For some, that hath abundance at his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/it-is-the-mynd-that-maketh-good-or-ill-that-maketh-wretch-or-happie/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [Sweet breathing Zephyrus did softly play, A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay Hot Titan's beams, which then did glister fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/sweet-breathing-zephyrus-did-softly-play-a-gentle-spirit-that-lightly/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [I was promised on a time To have reason for my rhyme; From that time unto this season, I received nor rhyme nor reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/i-was-promised-on-a-time-to-have-reason-for-my-rhyme-from-that-time/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [“For love is a celestial harmony Of likely hearts compos'd of stars' concent, Which join together in sweet sympathy, To work each other's joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/for-love-is-a-celestial-harmony-of-likely-hearts-compos-d-of-stars/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) > [Sleep after toil, port after stormy seas, Ease after war, death after life does greatly please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-spenser/sleep-after-toil-port-after-stormy-seas-ease-after-war-death-after/) [Edmund Spenser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) [Explore all 186 Edmund Spenser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-spenser/) ## More Brave quotes > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [If You Love Someone, Be Brave Enough To Tell Them., Otherwise Be Brave Enough To Watch Them To Be Loved By Someone Else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal-zahoor/if-you-love-someone-be-brave-enough-to-tell-them-otherwise-be-brave/) [Bilal Zahoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal-zahoor/) > [Be convinced that to be happy means to be free and that to be free means to be brave. Therefore do not take lightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/be-convinced-that-to-be-happy-means-to-be-free-and-that-to-be-free/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [It's always brave to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-yifei/it-s-always-brave-to-be-yourself/) [Liu Yifei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-yifei/) > [“Victory is for the fucking brave, not the timid and excuse-riddled weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zakk-wylde/victory-is-for-the-fucking-brave-not-the-timid-and-excuse-riddled-weak/) [Zakk Wylde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zakk-wylde/) > [I'm very proud of 'Every Girl's a Super Girl.' I want all girls to know that no matter what size, color, or shape, whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-siwa/i-m-very-proud-of-every-girl-s-a-super-girl-i-want-all-girls-to-know/) [JoJo Siwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-siwa/) > [And I read the moral--A brave endeavour To do thy duty, whate'er its worth, Is better than life with love forever, And love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeffrey-roche/and-i-read-the-moral-a-brave-endeavour-to-do-thy-duty-whate-er-its/) James Jeffrey Roche > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [You know what really made me sick? I was in Washington, D.C. at another time reading in a paper where the U.S. gives Byron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/you-know-what-really-made-me-sick-i-was-in-washington-d-c-at-another/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [To be able to live and train in Iraq under these circumstances you need to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-able-to-live-and-train-in-iraq-under-these-circumstances-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a fallacy with stand up comedy, which is, people come up to comedians, and they go, 'You say what I think but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/there-s-a-fallacy-with-stand-up-comedy-which-is-people-come-up-to/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [Fortune helps the brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence/fortune-helps-the-brave/) [Terence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence/) > [“A ‘good’ father will tenderly cultivate his children. But a ‘good’ father who is also a ‘brave’ father will let the children without cultivate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/a-good-father-will-tenderly-cultivate-his-children-but-a-good-father/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [And is it selfish of me to crave victory, or is it brave?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/and-is-it-selfish-of-me-to-crave-victory-or-is-it-brave/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [THE British are brave people. They can face anything, except reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/the-british-are-brave-people-they-can-face-anything-except-reality/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) [Browse all 3,314 Brave quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Who would ever care to do brave deed, Or strive in virtue others to excel, If none should yield him his deserved meed Due praise, that is the spur of doing well? 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