--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet she could see by their shocked and…" description: "\"“Yet she could see by their shocked and altered faces that even their virtues were being burned away.”\" — Flannery O'Connor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc7/flannery-o-connor-639_burned_yet-she-could-see-by-their-shocked-and-a_2649567.png" --- # Yet she could see by their shocked and altered faces that… ![“Yet she could see by their shocked and altered faces that even their virtues were being burned away.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc7/flannery-o-connor-639_burned_yet-she-could-see-by-their-shocked-and-a_2649567.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc7/flannery-o-connor-639_burned_yet-she-could-see-by-their-shocked-and-a_2649567.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc7/flannery-o-connor-639_burned_yet-she-could-see-by-their-shocked-and-a_2649567.png) > ““Yet she could see by their shocked and altered faces that even their virtues were being burned away.”” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even virtuous people can be corrupted when faced with shocking circumstances. **In simple terms:** Virtue can be destroyed. Key Takeaway Guard moral integrity. Themes morality corruption human nature Mood somber reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - war zone - courtroom - family crisis Key Concepts ethical decay psychological pressure Questions to Reflect On - What tests your values? - How do you respond to moral dilemmas? A Different Perspective Not all shocks lead to moral failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burned/) [Burned Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burned-away-2321230/) [Eschatology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eschatology/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Shocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shocked/) [Shocked Altered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shocked-altered-2339187/) [Virtues Burned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtues-burned-2339186/) ## Related quotes > [“my breakdown was like a furnace and what was burned away was any belief in my own feelings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-grosz/my-breakdown-was-like-a-furnace-and-what-was-burned-away-was-any/) [Stephen Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-grosz/) > [Each time I had five hours of the poison going into me, I just pictured everything that needed to be burned away. 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