--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A single bad habit will mar an otherwise…" description: "\"A single bad habit will mar an otherwise faultless character, as an ink-drop soileth the pure white page.\" — Hosea Ballou" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/hosea-ballou-3245_bad-habit_a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise_947800.png" --- # A single bad habit will mar an otherwise faultless… ![“A single bad habit will mar an otherwise faultless character, as an ink-drop soileth the pure white page.” quote by Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/hosea-ballou-3245_bad-habit_a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise_947800.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/hosea-ballou-3245_bad-habit_a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise_947800.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/hosea-ballou-3245_bad-habit_a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise_947800.png) > “A single bad habit will mar an otherwise faultless character, as an ink-drop soileth the pure white page.” [Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A single bad habit can tarnish an otherwise pure character, like a drop of ink staining a white page. **In simple terms:** One bad habit stains a good character. Key Takeaway Prevent small vices before they spread. Themes character habit morality Mood cautionary inspirational Type ethical personal growth When to use this quote - personal development - leadership - ethical decision making - teaching Key Concepts integrity self-discipline corruption Questions to Reflect On - What habit could you improve today? - How does a small flaw affect your reputation? A Different Perspective Habits can be corrected with conscious effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habit/) [Bad habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habits/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Faultless Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faultless-character-1666837/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Ink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ink/) [Ink Drop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ink-drop-1666838/) [Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mars/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Single Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-bad-328528/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-page-762106/) ## Related quotes > [Being single is not as bad as everyone likes to make it seem!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/being-single-is-not-as-bad-as-everyone-likes-to-make-it-seem/) [Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/) > [“Two people can be perfect for each other but if the timing's wrong it's never going to work out. 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Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [As the day Snow comes I open a new white page for making memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahdi-jawadi/as-the-day-snow-comes-i-open-a-new-white-page-for-making-memories/) [Mahdi Jawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahdi-jawadi/) > [Happiness writes in white ink on a white page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-de-montherlant/happiness-writes-in-white-ink-on-a-white-page/) [Henry de Montherlant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-de-montherlant/) > [Our biggest goal is to continue to force ourselves to always start our creative work on a white page and not take advantage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-laliberte/our-biggest-goal-is-to-continue-to-force-ourselves-to-always-start/) [Guy Laliberte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-laliberte/) > [Nothing in the world is like this- a bright white page with pale blue lines. The smell of a newly sharpened pencil the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/nothing-in-the-world-is-like-this-a-bright-white-page-with-pale-blue/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“Dance on a white page to reveal your passionate perception of inner madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/dance-on-a-white-page-to-reveal-your-passionate-perception-of-inner/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“...Nebraska was white, a page as still as fallen snow. It was not crosshatched with roads, overrun with the hard lines of interstate systems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/nebraska-was-white-a-page-as-still-as-fallen-snow-it-was-not/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Working at home is hard. It tends to give you bad habits. It feels more like you're going to work when you get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/working-at-home-is-hard-it-tends-to-give-you-bad-habits-it-feels-more/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) ## More by Hosea Ballou > [Purity in person and in morals is true godliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/purity-in-person-and-in-morals-is-true-godliness/) [Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/) > [Envy may justly be called "the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity;" it is the most acid fruit that grows on the stock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/envy-may-justly-be-called-the-gall-of-bitterness-and-bond-of-iniquity/) [Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/) > [Be circumspect in your dealings, and let the seed you plant be the offspring of prudence and care; thus fruit follows the fair blossom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/be-circumspect-in-your-dealings-and-let-the-seed-you-plant-be-the/) [Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/) > [Honest and courageous people have very little to say about either their courage or their honesty. 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It tends to give you bad habits. It feels more like you're going to work when you get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/working-at-home-is-hard-it-tends-to-give-you-bad-habits-it-feels-more/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“It's a very bad habit to put off disagreeable things...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/it-s-a-very-bad-habit-to-put-off-disagreeable-things/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“I’m afraid I don’t suffer petty bureaucrats gladly. A very bad habit, but one I find hard to break. Nevertheless, you will find, Dr.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston-lincoln-child-2/i-m-afraid-i-don-t-suffer-petty-bureaucrats-gladly-a-very-bad-habit/) [Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston-lincoln-child-2/) > [When you're walking at the airport, you're expected to smile at people because they know you... I find that tough. I'm only trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kaif/when-you-re-walking-at-the-airport-you-re-expected-to-smile-at-people/) [Katrina Kaif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kaif/) > [Im not actually this tall, Ive got this bad habit of sitting on my wallet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan/im-not-actually-this-tall-ive-got-this-bad-habit-of-sitting-on-my/) [Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan/) > [Sometimes it doesn't take much to slip back into bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-deschamps/sometimes-it-doesn-t-take-much-to-slip-back-into-bad-habits/) [Didier Deschamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-deschamps/) > [I have the same friends and the same bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-have-the-same-friends-and-the-same-bad-habits/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [I don't want to be overdramatic about it, but I'm starting to see a lot of my bad habits get the best of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-don-t-want-to-be-overdramatic-about-it-but-i-m-starting-to-see-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny himself. To deny oneself means to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent-of-alaska/the-first-duty-of-a-christian-of-a-disciple-and-follower-of-jesus/) [Innocent of Alaska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innocent-of-alaska/) > [“So, did you see that community center I was talking about?” “What? Where?” “We walked right past it, just before that grocery store. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pearce/so-did-you-see-that-community-center-i-was-talking-about-what-where/) [Jackson Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pearce/) > [The game is played out of instinct, but everyone on the ice has habits - good and bad. So the key to the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gretzky/the-game-is-played-out-of-instinct-but-everyone-on-the-ice-has-habits/) [Wayne Gretzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gretzky/) > [“So then, according to Jesus, the ‘evils’ which we think, say and do are not due primarily to our environment, nor are they bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-w-stott/so-then-according-to-jesus-the-evils-which-we-think-say-and-do-are/) [John R.W. Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-w-stott/) > [My bad habits aren't my title. My strengths and my talent are my title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layne-staley/my-bad-habits-aren-t-my-title-my-strengths-and-my-talent-are-my-title/) [Layne Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layne-staley/) > [Movies are one of the bad habits that have corrupted our century. They have slipped into the American mind more misinformation in one evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hecht/movies-are-one-of-the-bad-habits-that-have-corrupted-our-century-they/) [Ben Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hecht/) [Browse all 567 Bad habit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A single bad habit will mar an otherwise faultless character, as an ink-drop soileth the pure white page.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hosea Ballou" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise-faultless-character-as-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad habit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise-faultless-character-as-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/hosea-ballou-3245_bad-habit_a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise_947800.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/hosea-ballou-3245_bad-habit_a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise_947800.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68f/hosea-ballou-3245_bad-habit_a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise_947800.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A single bad habit will mar an otherwise faultless character, as an ink-drop soileth the pure white page.” — Hosea Ballou", "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": "Hosea Ballou", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A single bad habit will mar...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise-faultless-character-as-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/a-single-bad-habit-will-mar-an-otherwise-faultless-character-as-an/#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 } } ] } ```