--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any base heart can devise means of…" description: "\"Any base heart can devise means of vileness, and affix the ugly shapings of its own fancy to the actions of those around him; but it requires loftiness..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/jane-porter-9947_action_any-base-heart-can-devise-means-of-vilen_1067942.jpg" --- # Any base heart can devise means of vileness, and affix the… ![“Any base heart can devise means of vileness, and affix the ugly shapings of its own fancy to the actions of those around him; but it requires loftiness of mind, and the heaven-born spirit of virtue, to imagine greatness where it is not, and to deck the sordid objects of nature in the beautiful…” quote by Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/jane-porter-9947_action_any-base-heart-can-devise-means-of-vilen_1067942.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/jane-porter-9947_action_any-base-heart-can-devise-means-of-vilen_1067942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/jane-porter-9947_action_any-base-heart-can-devise-means-of-vilen_1067942.jpg) > “Any base heart can devise means of vileness, and affix the ugly shapings of its own fancy to the actions of those around him; but it requires loftiness of mind, and the heaven-born spirit of virtue, to imagine greatness where it is not, and to deck the sordid objects of nature in the beautiful robes of loveliness and light.” [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts lowly imagination that corrupts others’ deeds with noble imagination that elevates the ordinary into beauty. **In simple terms:** Bad minds distort; good minds beautify. Key Takeaway Cultivate lofty thinking. Themes morality imagination virtue Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - art criticism - leadership - personal growth - teaching - writing Key Concepts Aesthetic transformation ethical perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance truth and beauty? - When is it harmful to romanticize? A Different Perspective It may overlook harsh realities in favor of idealism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Loveliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loveliness/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Robes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robes/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Suspicion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicion/) [Vileness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vileness/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [Beauty of form affects the mind, but then it must be understood that it is not the mere shell that we admire; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/beauty-of-form-affects-the-mind-but-then-it-must-be-understood-that/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [The perfection of outward loveliness is the soul shining through its crystalline covering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/the-perfection-of-outward-loveliness-is-the-soul-shining-through-its/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [Saw so much of the wickedness of my heart that I longed to get away from myself...I felt almost pressed to death with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brainerd/saw-so-much-of-the-wickedness-of-my-heart-that-i-longed-to-get-away/) [David Brainerd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brainerd/) > [When you reach the bottom of the well of your own nature, then you will know that the vileness was from yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/when-you-reach-the-bottom-of-the-well-of-your-own-nature-then-you/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [The nearer you take anything to the light, the darker its spots will appear; and the nearer you live to God, the more you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-murray-m-cheyne/the-nearer-you-take-anything-to-the-light-the-darker-its-spots-will/) [Robert Murray M'Cheyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-murray-m-cheyne/) > [Nobody can protect anybody else from vileness. Or from pain. All you can do is not let it break you in half and keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-straub/nobody-can-protect-anybody-else-from-vileness-or-from-pain-all-you/) [Peter Straub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-straub/) > [Ingratitude is the essence of vileness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/ingratitude-is-the-essence-of-vileness/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [“And Tietjens, who hated no man, in face of this simple-minded and agreeable schoolboy type of fellow, fell to wondering why it was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/and-tietjens-who-hated-no-man-in-face-of-this-simple-minded-and/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [“good alone Is good without a name, vileness is so”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/good-alone-is-good-without-a-name-vileness-is-so/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“She'll come, if not today, then tomorrow, but she'll find me. That's the cursed romanticism of all these pure hearts! Oh the vileness, oh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/she-ll-come-if-not-today-then-tomorrow-but-she-ll-find-me-that-s-the/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The vile are trampled beneath the feet of other pigs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-vile-are-trampled-beneath-the-feet-of-other-pigs/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“There isn’t a viler creature on earth than a politician who sends the children of others to the war but not his own children!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/there-isn-t-a-viler-creature-on-earth-than-a-politician-who-sends-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Even hatred of vileness Distorts a mans features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/even-hatred-of-vileness-distorts-a-mans-features/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Oh, what a vileness human beauty is; corroding, corrupting everything it touches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/oh-what-a-vileness-human-beauty-is-corroding-corrupting-everything-it/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Growing up in Michigan, I can't think of anything so explicitly communicated to me in my whole education experience as the vileness of in-your-face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/growing-up-in-michigan-i-can-t-think-of-anything-so-explicitly/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) ## More by Jane Porter > [none are fit judges of greatness but those who are capable of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/none-are-fit-judges-of-greatness-but-those-who-are-capable-of-it/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [It is not designed that the road should be made too smooth for us here upon earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/it-is-not-designed-that-the-road-should-be-made-too-smooth-for-us/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [Yet happiness isn't something you chase, it's something you are. It's something you think, it's something you believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/yet-happiness-isn-t-something-you-chase-it-s-something-you-are-it-s/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [Guilt is a spiritual Rubicon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/guilt-is-a-spiritual-rubicon/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [The mob is a sort of bear; while your ring is through its nose, it will even dance under your cudgel; but should the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/the-mob-is-a-sort-of-bear-while-your-ring-is-through-its-nose-it-will/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [Goodness is equally hateful to the wicked, as vice is to the virtuous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/goodness-is-equally-hateful-to-the-wicked-as-vice-is-to-the-virtuous/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [I never yet heard man or woman much abused that I was not inclined to think the better of them, and to transfer the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/i-never-yet-heard-man-or-woman-much-abused-that-i-was-not-inclined-to/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [Imparting knowledge is only lighting other men's candles at our lamp without depriving ourselves of any flame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/imparting-knowledge-is-only-lighting-other-men-s-candles-at-our-lamp/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [Happiness is a sunbeam which may pass through a thousand bosoms without losing a particle of its original ray; nay, when it strikes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/happiness-is-a-sunbeam-which-may-pass-through-a-thousand-bosoms/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [It has been wisely said, "that well may thy guardian angel suffer thee to lose thy locks, when thou darest wilfully to lay thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/it-has-been-wisely-said-that-well-may-thy-guardian-angel-suffer-thee/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [“Don’t. Don’t say you’ve changed your mind. You promised me!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/don-t-don-t-say-you-ve-changed-your-mind-you-promised-me/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [“God forgive her, but underneath the smiles and the good job and the great family, she was tired. Desperately tired. Tired to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/god-forgive-her-but-underneath-the-smiles-and-the-good-job-and-the/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [How different is the ready hand, tearful eye, and soothing voice, from the ostentatious appearance which is called pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/how-different-is-the-ready-hand-tearful-eye-and-soothing-voice-from/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [The flatterer easily insinuates himself into the closet, while honest merit stands shivering in the hall or antechamber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/the-flatterer-easily-insinuates-himself-into-the-closet-while-honest/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) > [Where there is any good disposition, confidence begets faithfulness; but distrust, if it do not produce treachery; never fails to destroy every inclination to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-porter/where-there-is-any-good-disposition-confidence-begets-faithfulness/) [Jane Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) [Explore all 69 Jane Porter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-porter/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! 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