Virtue Quote by John Macarthur
“No person, no matter how clever and deceitful, can indefinitely hide a character that is rotten and out of tune with God. John Calvin said, 'Nothing is more difficult to counterfeit than virtue.' It demands too much. It demands more than any person has in himself, and when God's divine provision and power are absent the charade cannot last long.”
About This Quote
Source Sermon: The Necessity of True Virtue, 1550s
A corrupt character cannot be concealed forever; divine support is needed to sustain false virtue.
In simple terms: Rotten character eventually shows.
Key Takeaway
Seek genuine virtue, rely on divine help.
Themes
integrity
spirituality
virtue
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
spiritual
moral
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- spiritual counseling
- leadership
- ethical decision making
Key Concepts
theology
human nature
moral decay
Questions to Reflect On
- What aspects of your character need divine truth?
- How can you recognize when a façade is breaking?
A Different Perspective
Even with effort, self‑deception eventually fails.
![“I had been reading about [John] Calvin for years and had been studying the English Renaissance for many more years, and it had never occurred to me to think of them together. I learned that Calvin was the most widely read writer in England in Shakespeare's lifetime. He was translated and published…” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e10/marilynne-robinson-602_england_i-had-been-reading-about-john-calvin-for_671043.jpg)
![“Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg)
![“[John Calvin] writes clearly, directly, without artifice, and gets straight to the practical heart of the matter.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/872/oliver-d-crisp-12863_artifice_john-calvin-writes-clearly-directly-with_309224.jpg)
![“For her [Françoise], wealth was like a necessary condition without which virtue would lack both merit and charm. She made so little distinction between the two that she came to see their qualities as interchangeable, expecting material comfort from virtue and moral edification from wealth.” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/573/marcel-proust-114_character_for-her-fran-oise-wealth-was-like-a-nece_2687.jpg)
