---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Capacity for the nobler feelings is in…"
description: "\"“Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/john-stuart-mill-477_life_capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-m_1717490.png"
---

#  Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very…

![“Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance; and in the majority of young persons it speedily dies away if the occupations to which their position in life has devoted them, and the society…” quote by John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/john-stuart-mill-477_life_capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-m_1717490.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/john-stuart-mill-477_life_capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-m_1717490.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/john-stuart-mill-477_life_capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-m_1717490.png)

> ““Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance; and in the majority of young persons it speedily dies away if the occupations to which their position in life has devoted them, and the society into which it has thrown them, are not favourable to keeping that higher capacity in exercise.””

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human capacity for noble emotions is delicate, needing nourishment and supportive environments, otherwise it with quickly, especially in youth.

**In simple terms:** Noble feelings need care and support.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate environments that nurture higher emotions.

Themes

ethics psychology growth society education

Mood

reflective hopeful concerned

Type

philosophical inspirational educational

When to use this quote

- parenting
- school curricula
- workplace culture
- community programs
- personal mentorship

Key Concepts

human nature emotional development social influence

Questions to Reflect On

- How can institutions foster noble emotions?
- What personal habits sustain higher feelings?

A Different Perspective

If societal pressures dominate, noble capacities may be suppressed despite individual effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Sustenance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sustenance/)

## Related quotes

> [“Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-most-natures-a-very-tender-2/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Love is a tender plant; when properly nourished, it becomes sturdy and enduring, but neglected it will soon wither and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-b-brown/love-is-a-tender-plant-when-properly-nourished-it-becomes-sturdy-and/)

[Hugh B. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-b-brown/)

> [Those who are successfully to lead their fellow-men, should have once possessed the nobler feelings. We have all known individuals whose magnanimity was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/those-who-are-successfully-to-lead-their-fellow-men-should-have-once/)

[Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/)

> [“He realized he needed strength, sustenance that couldn’t come from bread alone. He desperately needed God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-e-b-spredemann/he-realized-he-needed-strength-sustenance-that-couldn-t-come-from/)

[J.E.B. Spredemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-e-b-spredemann/)

> [Oh Mary, star of the sea, once again we recourse to thee, to find refuge and sernity, to implore your protection and help. Mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/oh-mary-star-of-the-sea-once-again-we-recourse-to-thee-to-find-refuge/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [In the ages marked by scarcity and want, may I myself appear as drink and sustenance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantideva/in-the-ages-marked-by-scarcity-and-want-may-i-myself-appear-as-drink/)

[Shantideva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantideva/)

> [Hard rain falls in every season. Sometimes it can beat you down; you have to try to learn how to take sustenance from it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-taylor/hard-rain-falls-in-every-season-sometimes-it-can-beat-you-down-you/)

[Regina Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-taylor/)

> [“The gift of sustenance is crucial to motherhood: the mother providing milk for her newborn from her own body, created from her own blood.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-e-dahill/the-gift-of-sustenance-is-crucial-to-motherhood-the-mother-providing/)

[Lisa E. Dahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-e-dahill/)

> [Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/fasting-confirms-our-utter-dependence-upon-god-by-finding-in-him-a/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [My life is a tsunami of inspirations. Number one is that I really do just love my BBQ. I mean it's the sustenance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/my-life-is-a-tsunami-of-inspirations-number-one-is-that-i-really-do/)

[Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/)

> [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Love of Allah is the power of the heart, the sustenance of the heart, the light of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/love-of-allah-is-the-power-of-the-heart-the-sustenance-of-the-heart/)

[Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/)

> [Bread is a second cause; the LORD Himself is the first source of our sustenance. He can work without the second cause as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bread-is-a-second-cause-the-lord-himself-is-the-first-source-of-our/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The prime communities of the Southwest are survival communities. Their sustenance is governed by rainfall and wind direction. You can study little enclaves of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-predock/the-prime-communities-of-the-southwest-are-survival-communities-their/)

[Antoine Predock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-predock/)

> [No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-religion-has-mandated-killing-others-as-a-requirement-for-its/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by John Stuart Mill

> [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Liberty lies in the rights of that person whose views you find most odious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/liberty-lies-in-the-rights-of-that-person-whose-views-you-find-most/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Truth emerges from the clash of adverse ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/truth-emerges-from-the-clash-of-adverse-ideas/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [“No longer enslaved or made dependent by force of law, the great majority are so by force of poverty; they are still chained to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/no-longer-enslaved-or-made-dependent-by-force-of-law-the-great/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [All acts suppose certain dispositions, and habits of mind and heart, which may be in themselves states of enjoyment or of wretchedness, and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-acts-suppose-certain-dispositions-and-habits-of-mind-and-heart/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Unfortunately for the good sense of mankind, the fact of their fallibility is far from carrying the weight in their practical judgement, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/unfortunately-for-the-good-sense-of-mankind-the-fact-of-their/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [“In history, as in traveling, men usually see only what they already had in their own minds; and few learn much from history, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/in-history-as-in-traveling-men-usually-see-only-what-they-already-had/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [All errors which a man is likely to commit against advice are far outweighed by the evil of allowing others to constrain him for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-errors-which-a-man-is-likely-to-commit-against-advice-are-far/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/every-great-movement-must-experience-three-stages-ridicule-discussion/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [The successful conduct of an industrial enterprise requires two quite distinct qualifications: fidelity and zeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-successful-conduct-of-an-industrial-enterprise-requires-two-quite/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [ “\[For people\] to refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/for-people-to-refuse-a-hearing-to-an-opinion-because-they-are-sure/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [This is what writers mean when they say that the notion of cause involves the idea of necessity. If there be any meaning which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/this-is-what-writers-mean-when-they-say-that-the-notion-of-cause/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [“Protection, therefore, against tyranny of the magistrate is not enough: there needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling; against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/protection-therefore-against-tyranny-of-the-magistrate-is-not-enough/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Landlords grow rich in their sleep without working, risking or economizing. The increase in the value of land, arising as it does from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/landlords-grow-rich-in-their-sleep-without-working-risking-or/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [There is one characteristic of the present direction of public opinion, peculiarly calculated to make it intolerant of any marked demonstration of individuality. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/there-is-one-characteristic-of-the-present-direction-of-public/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

[Explore all 524 John Stuart Mill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile influences, but by mere want of sustenance; and in the majority of young persons it speedily dies away if the occupations to which their position in life has devoted them, and the society into which it has thrown them, are not favourable to keeping that higher capacity in exercise.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Stuart Mill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-most-natures-a-very-tender/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-most-natures-a-very-tender/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/john-stuart-mill-477_life_capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-m_1717490.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/john-stuart-mill-477_life_capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-m_1717490.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/john-stuart-mill-477_life_capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-m_1717490.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Capacity for the nobler feelings is in most natures a very tender plant, easily killed, not only by hostile…” — John Stuart Mill",
                "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": "John Stuart Mill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Capacity for the nobler feelings is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-most-natures-a-very-tender/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/capacity-for-the-nobler-feelings-is-in-most-natures-a-very-tender/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
