--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is true that the virtues which are…" description: "\"It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and practiced now--independence, self-reliance, and the willingness to bear risks, the readiness to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_be-good_it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-le_68321.jpg" --- # It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and… ![“It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and practiced now--independence, self-reliance, and the willingness to bear risks, the readiness to back one's own conviction against a majority, and the willingness to voluntary cooperation with one's neighbors--are essentially those on which…” quote by Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_be-good_it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-le_68321.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_be-good_it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-le_68321.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_be-good_it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-le_68321.jpg) > “It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and practiced now--independence, self-reliance, and the willingness to bear risks, the readiness to back one's own conviction against a majority, and the willingness to voluntary cooperation with one's neighbors--are essentially those on which the of an individualist society rests. Collectivism has nothing to put in their place, and in so far as it already has destroyed then it has left a void filled by nothing but the demand for obedience and the compulsion of the individual to what is collectively decided to be good.” [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hayek argues that essential virtues—independence, self‑reliance, risk‑taking, conviction against the majority, and voluntary cooperation—are the foundation of an individualist society, and that collectivism erodes these, leaving only obedience to collective decisions. **In simple terms:** Individualist virtues sustain freedom; collectivism replaces them with obedience. Key Takeaway Loss of individual virtues leads to enforced conformity. Themes individualism collectivism virtue ethics social contract autonomy Mood defiant reflective critical Type philosophical political sociological When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - community organizing - political activism - grassroots movements - civil disobedience Key Concepts self‑reliance risk tolerance voluntary cooperation majority dissent Practical Applications - designing policies that protect individual rights - cultivating community initiatives that encourage voluntary cooperation Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance individual autonomy with collective welfare? - What mechanisms preserve self‑reliance while encouraging cooperation? A Different Perspective Collectivist frameworks can also foster solidarity and shared purpose, which may mitigate the isolation of extreme individualism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Collectivism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectivism/) [Compulsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsion/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Cooperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperation/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Essentially Individualist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentially-individualist-905100/) [Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individualist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualist/) [Individualist Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individualist-society-905098/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Obedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obedience/) [Readiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readiness/) [Reliance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reliance/) [Rests Collectivism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rests-collectivism-905099/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self reliance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-reliance/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Void](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/void/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) ## Related quotes > [“This entails certain corollaries on which true individualism once more stands in sharp opposition to the false individualism of the rationalistic type. The first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-a-hayek/this-entails-certain-corollaries-on-which-true-individualism-once/) [Friedrich A. Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-a-hayek/) > [I am not an individualist in the Western sense. Collectivism can become oppressive when it tries to dictate; the rights of the two should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asghar-ali-engineer/i-am-not-an-individualist-in-the-western-sense-collectivism-can/) [Asghar Ali Engineer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asghar-ali-engineer/) > [Through the inevitable mismanagement of resources and goods at the disposal of the state, all forms of collectivism lead eventually to tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/through-the-inevitable-mismanagement-of-resources-and-goods-at-the/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [It is perhaps the most characteristic feature of the intellectual that he judges new ideas not by their specific merits but by the readiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-perhaps-the-most-characteristic-feature-of-the-intellectual/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [“mold—William Henry Yale also subscribed to Roosevelt’s notions of the ideal American man and of the dangers of “over-civilization,” code for effeminacy. The true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-anderson/mold-william-henry-yale-also-subscribed-to-roosevelt-s-notions-of-the/) [Scott Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-anderson/) > [“The adventurer, by minimum definition, is an individualist. The life of adventure is an unsocial game; therefore in direct contrast with the married, supported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bolitho/the-adventurer-by-minimum-definition-is-an-individualist-the-life-of/) [William Bolitho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bolitho/) > [“On Individualism: "Because I say Republicans are stupid, and hold that liberty, equality, and fraternity are exploded bubbles, does not make me a socialist,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/on-individualism-because-i-say-republicans-are-stupid-and-hold-that/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [A Conformist is a man who declares, "It's true because others believe it" - but an Individualist is NOT a man who declares, "It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-conformist-is-a-man-who-declares-it-s-true-because-others-believe/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [To be a genuine individualist requires a great deal of strength and courage. It is never easy to chart new territory, to cross new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toller-cranston/to-be-a-genuine-individualist-requires-a-great-deal-of-strength-and/) [Toller Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toller-cranston/) > [Right now it is a terrible thing to be a rugged individualist; but we don't know what else to be except a feeble nonentity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-paterson/right-now-it-is-a-terrible-thing-to-be-a-rugged-individualist-but-we/) [Isabel Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-paterson/) > [I don't feel the individualist anarchists, particularly in the American tradition, including the Transcendental tradition of New England, in any way deserve the derogatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-don-t-feel-the-individualist-anarchists-particularly-in-the/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [Do not make the mistake of the ignorant who think that an individualist is a man who says: “I’ll do as I please at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/do-not-make-the-mistake-of-the-ignorant-who-think-that-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [My father was an individualist, and I took after him. At school, however, one is forced to be gregarious. I didn't resent this, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-robin-milne/my-father-was-an-individualist-and-i-took-after-him-at-school-however/) [Christopher Robin Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-robin-milne/) > [ I'm glad \[Ornette Coleman\] is such an individualist. I like the firmness of thought and purpose that goes into what he's doing, even though… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-desmond/i-m-glad-ornette-coleman-is-such-an-individualist-i-like-the-firmness/) [Paul Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-desmond/) > [I am a strong individualist by personal habit, inheritance, and conviction; but it is a mere matter of common sense to recognize that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/i-am-a-strong-individualist-by-personal-habit-inheritance-and/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## More by Friedrich August von Hayek > [The system of private property is the most important guaranty of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-system-of-private-property-is-the-most-important-guaranty-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [By the time any view becomes a majority view, it is no longer the best view: somebody will already have advanced beyond the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/by-the-time-any-view-becomes-a-majority-view-it-is-no-longer-the-best/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Freedom can be preserved only if it is treated as a supreme principle which must not be sacrificed for particular advantages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/freedom-can-be-preserved-only-if-it-is-treated-as-a-supreme-principle/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Should our moral beliefs really prove to be dependent on factual assumptions shown to be incorrect, it would be hardly moral to defend them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/should-our-moral-beliefs-really-prove-to-be-dependent-on-factual/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Unlike the rationalism of the French Revolution, true liberalism has no quarrel with religion, and I can only deplore the militant and essentially illiberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/unlike-the-rationalism-of-the-french-revolution-true-liberalism-has/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [We must make the building of a free society once more an intellectual adventure, a deed of courage… Unless we can make the philosophic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/we-must-make-the-building-of-a-free-society-once-more-an-intellectual/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The central problem of management is how spontaneous interaction of people within a firm, each possessing only bits of knowledge, can bring about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-central-problem-of-management-is-how-spontaneous-interaction-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The discussions of every age are filled with the issues on which its leading schools of thought differ. But the general intellectual atmosphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-discussions-of-every-age-are-filled-with-the-issues-on-which-its/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The Nobel Prize confers on an individual an authority which in economics no man ought to possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-nobel-prize-confers-on-an-individual-an-authority-which-in/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [ \[Socialistic\] economic planning, regulation, and intervention pave the way to totalitarianism by building a power structure that will inevitably be seized by the most… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/socialistic-economic-planning-regulation-and-intervention-pave-the/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [It is rather a problem of how to secure the best use of resources known to any of the members of society, for ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-rather-a-problem-of-how-to-secure-the-best-use-of-resources/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The state itself becomes more and more identified with the interests of those who run things than with the interests of the people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-state-itself-becomes-more-and-more-identified-with-the-interests/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [We must face the fact that the preservation of individual freedom is incompatible with a full satisfaction of our views of distributive justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/we-must-face-the-fact-that-the-preservation-of-individual-freedom-is/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Human envy is certainly not one of the sources of discontent that a free society can eliminate. It is probably one of the essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/human-envy-is-certainly-not-one-of-the-sources-of-discontent-that-a/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Socialism constitutes a threat to the present and future welfare of the human race, in the sense that neither socialism nor any other known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/socialism-constitutes-a-threat-to-the-present-and-future-welfare-of/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) [Explore all 244 Friedrich August von Hayek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The difference in being good at some thing and being great at something is usually found in the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-anderson/the-difference-in-being-good-at-some-thing-and-being-great-at/) [Randy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-anderson/) > [It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character-is-good-or-bad-he-just-has/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) [Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and practiced now--independence, self-reliance, and the willingness to bear risks, the readiness to back one's own conviction against a majority, and the willingness to voluntary cooperation with one's neighbors--are essentially those on which the of an individualist society rests. Collectivism has nothing to put in their place, and in so far as it already has destroyed then it has left a void filled by nothing but the demand for obedience and the compulsion of the individual to what is collectively decided to be good.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich August von Hayek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-less-esteemed-and-practiced-now/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be good" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-less-esteemed-and-practiced-now/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_be-good_it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-le_68321.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_be-good_it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-le_68321.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e2/friedrich-august-von-hayek-141_be-good_it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-le_68321.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and practiced now--independence, self-reliance, and the…” — Friedrich August von Hayek", "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": "Friedrich August von Hayek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is true that the virtues...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-less-esteemed-and-practiced-now/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-less-esteemed-and-practiced-now/#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 } } ] } ```