---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The moral qualities are more apt to grow…"
description: "\"The moral qualities are more apt to grow when a human being is useful, and they increase in the woman who helps to support the family rather than in th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_character_the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow_2139694.png"
---

#  The moral qualities are more apt to grow when a human…

![“The moral qualities are more apt to grow when a human being is useful, and they increase in the woman who helps to support the family rather than in the one who gives herself to idleness and fashionable frivolities.” quote by Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_character_the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow_2139694.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_character_the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow_2139694.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_character_the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow_2139694.png)

> “The moral qualities are more apt to grow when a human being is useful, and they increase in the woman who helps to support the family rather than in the one who gives herself to idleness and fashionable frivolities.”

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

## About This Quote

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

Virtue develops through productive work, especially in supporting family, not through idle luxury.

**In simple terms:** Work builds character; idleness erodes it.

Key Takeaway

Encourage purposeful activity.

Themes

virtue work family gender roles

Mood

reflective serious

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- household management
- community service
- career development

Key Concepts

feminism ethics social responsibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How to balance duty and personal joy?
- What defines “useful” work?

A Different Perspective

Excessive focus on productivity can neglect self‑care.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Fashionable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashionable/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Frivolity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frivolity/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Idleness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idleness/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/)

## Related quotes

> [Selfishness is one of the qualities apt to inspire love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/selfishness-is-one-of-the-qualities-apt-to-inspire-love/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Again the greatest use of a human was to be useful. Not to consume, not to watch, but to do something for someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/again-the-greatest-use-of-a-human-was-to-be-useful-not-to-consume-not/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wisdom-compassion-and-courage-are-the-three-universally-recognized/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [In love we do not think of moral qualities, and scarcely of intellectual ones. Temperament and manner alone, with beauty, excite love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/in-love-we-do-not-think-of-moral-qualities-and-scarcely-of/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Good nature is, of all moral qualities, the one that the world needs most, and good nature is the result of ease and security,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/good-nature-is-of-all-moral-qualities-the-one-that-the-world-needs-2/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Why is self-awareness so important? We need it for self growth. Otherwise, its just self-flagellation. Self-awareness gives us an understanding of the qualities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/why-is-self-awareness-so-important-we-need-it-for-self-growth-2/)

[Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/)

> [Moral qualities are so constituted as to be destroyed by excess and by deficiency . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/moral-qualities-are-so-constituted-as-to-be-destroyed-by-excess-and/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Why is self-awareness so important? We need it for self growth. Otherwise, it's just self-flagellation. Self-awareness gives us an understanding of the qualities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-is-self-awareness-so-important-we-need-it-for-self-growth/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Etiquette has no regard for moral qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-william-jerrold/etiquette-has-no-regard-for-moral-qualities/)

[Douglas William Jerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-william-jerrold/)

> [Every human soul has seen, perhaps before their birth pure forms such as justice, temperance, beauty and all the great moral qualities which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/every-human-soul-has-seen-perhaps-before-their-birth-pure-forms-such/)

[Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/)

> [Good nature is, of all moral qualities, the one that the world needs most, and good nature is the result of ease and security,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/good-nature-is-of-all-moral-qualities-the-one-that-the-world-needs/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [For man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but, when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all; since armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/for-man-when-perfected-is-the-best-of-animals-but-when-separated-from/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [I think it's important for politicians to have moral qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/i-think-it-s-important-for-politicians-to-have-moral-qualities/)

[Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/)

> [In the great battle of life, no brilliancy of intellect, no perfection of bodily development, will count when weighed in the balance against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/in-the-great-battle-of-life-no-brilliancy-of-intellect-no-perfection/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/wisdom-compassion-and-courage-are-the-three-universally-recognized-2/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

## More by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

> [The point I wish plainly to bring before you on this occasion is the individuality of each human soul--our Protestant idea, the right of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-point-i-wish-plainly-to-bring-before-you-on-this-occasion-is-the/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities of higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-strongest-reason-for-giving-woman-all-the-opportunities-of-higher/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Accepting the view that man was prior in the creation, some Scriptural writers say that as the woman was of the man, therefore, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/accepting-the-view-that-man-was-prior-in-the-creation-some-scriptural/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [I thought that the chief thing to be done in order to equal boys was to be learned and courageous. So I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/i-thought-that-the-chief-thing-to-be-done-in-order-to-equal-boys-was/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Nothing strengthens the judgment and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/nothing-strengthens-the-judgment-and-quickens-the-conscience-like/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [A government is just only when the whole people share equally in its protection and advantages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/a-government-is-just-only-when-the-whole-people-share-equally-in-its/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [The prolonged slavery of women is the darkest page in human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-prolonged-slavery-of-women-is-the-darkest-page-in-human-history/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-and-women-are/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Woman has been the great unpaid laborer of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/woman-has-been-the-great-unpaid-laborer-of-the-world/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Well, another female child is born into the world! Last Sunday afternoon, Harriot Eaton Stanton - oh! the little heretic thus to desecrate that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/well-another-female-child-is-born-into-the-world-last-sunday/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [The bible teaches that woman brought sin and death into the world, that she precipitated the fall of the race, that she was arraigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-bible-teaches-that-woman-brought-sin-and-death-into-the-world/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [... our scholarships should be bestowed on those whose ability and earnestness in the primary department have been proved, and whose capacity for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/our-scholarships-should-be-bestowed-on-those-whose-ability-and/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Because man and woman are the complement of one another, we need woman's thought in national affairs to make a safe and stable government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/because-man-and-woman-are-the-complement-of-one-another-we-need-woman/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [It would be ridiculous to talk of male and female atmospheres, male and female springs or rains, male and female sunshine…How much more ridiculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/it-would-be-ridiculous-to-talk-of-male-and-female-atmospheres-male/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Woman's degradation is in mans idea of his sexual rights. Our religion, laws, customs, are all founded on the belief that woman was made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/woman-s-degradation-is-in-mans-idea-of-his-sexual-rights-our-religion/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

[Explore all 226 Elizabeth Cady Stanton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

## 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": "The moral qualities are more apt to grow when a human being is useful, and they increase in the woman who helps to support the family rather than in the one who gives herself to idleness and fashionable frivolities.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Cady Stanton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow-when-a-human-being-is-useful/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow-when-a-human-being-is-useful/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_character_the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow_2139694.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_character_the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow_2139694.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5a/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_character_the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow_2139694.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The moral qualities are more apt to grow when a human being is useful, and they increase in the woman who…” — Elizabeth Cady Stanton",
                "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": "Elizabeth Cady Stanton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The moral qualities are more apt...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow-when-a-human-being-is-useful/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-moral-qualities-are-more-apt-to-grow-when-a-human-being-is-useful/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```