--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A clean and sensitive conscience, a…" description: "\"A clean and sensitive conscience, a steady and scrupulous integrity in small things as well as large, is the most valuable of all possessions, to a nat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/henry-van-dyke-2453_clean_a-clean-and-sensitive-conscience-a-stead_2052529.png" --- # A clean and sensitive conscience, a steady and scrupulous… ![“A clean and sensitive conscience, a steady and scrupulous integrity in small things as well as large, is the most valuable of all possessions, to a nation as to an individual.” quote by Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/henry-van-dyke-2453_clean_a-clean-and-sensitive-conscience-a-stead_2052529.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/henry-van-dyke-2453_clean_a-clean-and-sensitive-conscience-a-stead_2052529.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25e/henry-van-dyke-2453_clean_a-clean-and-sensitive-conscience-a-stead_2052529.png) > “A clean and sensitive conscience, a steady and scrupulous integrity in small things as well as large, is the most valuable of all possessions, to a nation as to an individual.” [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Integrity in both minor and major matters defines true wealth for individuals and nations. **In simple terms:** Integrity is priceless. Key Takeaway Practice honesty in all actions. Themes ethics integrity values Mood thoughtful serious Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - leadership - public service - family life - business - education Key Concepts moral philosophy civic responsibility personal development Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance integrity with ambition? - When is a compromise justified? A Different Perspective Integrity can be costly in competitive environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Small things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-things/) ## Related quotes > [“So remember those who win the game Lose the love they sought to gain In debitures of quality and dubious integrity Their small-town eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-ian/so-remember-those-who-win-the-game-lose-the-love-they-sought-to-gain/) [Janis Ian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-ian/) > [“Laura had brought her sensitive conscience into the country with her, just as she had brought her umbrella, though so far she had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/laura-had-brought-her-sensitive-conscience-into-the-country-with-her/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [For me, it's about the small things in the fight to get better day by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erling-haaland/for-me-it-s-about-the-small-things-in-the-fight-to-get-better-day-by/) [Erling Haaland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erling-haaland/) > [All the small things True care, truth brings I'll take one lift Your ride best trip Always I know You'll be at my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blink-182/all-the-small-things-true-care-truth-brings-i-ll-take-one-lift-your/) Blink 182 > [“What do you want? Let’s just start with the basics. Write down anything that you want in your life. These can be big or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brodie/what-do-you-want-let-s-just-start-with-the-basics-write-down-anything/) [Richard Brodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brodie/) > [“Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/humility-is-the-mother-of-giants-one-sees-great-things-from-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [No matter what's happening, choose to be happy. Don't focus on what's wrong. Find something positive in your life. Thank God for the small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/no-matter-what-s-happening-choose-to-be-happy-don-t-focus-on-what-s/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I like small things, I like small moments that are almost elliptical, that are not necessarily linear; they're natural things that happen in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-like-small-things-i-like-small-moments-that-are-almost-elliptical/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [“It is believed by many that the military life is one of adventure and excitement. 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Yes, I know it well; I've heard its prayers and creeds, And seen men put them all to shame with poor, half-hearted deeds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/religion-yes-i-know-it-well-i-ve-heard-its-prayers-and-creeds-and/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [It is better to desire the things we have than to have the things we desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/it-is-better-to-desire-the-things-we-have-than-to-have-the-things-we/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [Jazz: Music invented for the torture of imbeciles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/jazz-music-invented-for-the-torture-of-imbeciles/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [Lord, when my spirit shall return to thee, At the foot of a friendly tree let my body be buried, That this dust may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/lord-when-my-spirit-shall-return-to-thee-at-the-foot-of-a-friendly/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/gratitude-is-the-inward-feeling-of-kindness-received-thankfulness-is/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [In warlike pomp, with banners flowing, The regiments of autumn stood: I saw their gold and scarlet glowing From every hillside, every wood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/in-warlike-pomp-with-banners-flowing-the-regiments-of-autumn-stood-i/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/there-is-a-better-thing-than-the-observance-of-christmas-day-and-that/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) [Explore all 165 Henry Van Dyke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) ## More Clean quotes > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [ I walked all around it \[the Guggenheim Bilbao\] and couldn't find one clear, clean shot. To make things worse, the weather was lousy. Nothing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-polidori/i-walked-all-around-it-the-guggenheim-bilbao-and-couldn-t-find-one/) [Robert Polidori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-polidori/) > [There's nothing harder than making a mellow, clean record. It's really scary. I can see why people would never want to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/there-s-nothing-harder-than-making-a-mellow-clean-record-it-s-really/) [Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/) > [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [There is one, and only one solution, and we have almost no time to try it. We must turn all our resources to repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/there-is-one-and-only-one-solution-and-we-have-almost-no-time-to-try/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [The sugar maple is remarkable for its clean ankle. The groves of these trees looked like vast forest sheds, their branches stoppingshort at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-sugar-maple-is-remarkable-for-its-clean-ankle-the-groves-of-these/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [At 62, I remain clean and sober and my ponytail remains erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/at-62-i-remain-clean-and-sober-and-my-ponytail-remains-erect/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Water is a cure-all. Water is everything. You can't get better without drinking lots of water, and you can't drink water unless it's clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/water-is-a-cure-all-water-is-everything-you-can-t-get-better-without/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [The worthiness of any cause is not measured by its clean record, but by its readiness to see the blots when they are pointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/the-worthiness-of-any-cause-is-not-measured-by-its-clean-record-but/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [I like to always wash the slate clean, and reinvigorate my spirit to be connected to the characters that I am doing. 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