--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not the great temptations that ruin…" description: "\"It is not the great temptations that ruin us; it is the little ones.\" — John William De Forest" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/john-william-de-forest-249794_desire_it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-rui_1003621.png" --- # It is not the great temptations that ruin us; it is the… ![“It is not the great temptations that ruin us; it is the little ones.” quote by John William De Forest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/john-william-de-forest-249794_desire_it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-rui_1003621.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/john-william-de-forest-249794_desire_it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-rui_1003621.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/john-william-de-forest-249794_desire_it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-rui_1003621.png) > “It is not the great temptations that ruin us; it is the little ones.” John William De Forest ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small temptations are more dangerous than large ones because they accumulate and erode character. **In simple terms:** Small temptations can be more harmful than big ones. Key Takeaway Guard against minor temptations. Themes self‑control ethics temptation character Mood cautionary thought‑provoking Type Desire:1 Failure:0 Inspirational:0 Little:1 Little ones:1 Littles:0 Lure:0 Novelists:0 Ones:0 Ruins:0 Temptation:1 Great Temptations:0 Ruin Little:0 When to use this quote - personal finance - dietary choices - online browsing - relationship fidelity Key Concepts habit formation moral psychology self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - Which small temptation do you often ignore? - How can you strengthen resistance? A Different Perspective People may underestimate the impact of small temptations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Little ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-ones/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Temptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptation/) ## Related quotes > [There would be no great ones if there were no little ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/there-would-be-no-great-ones-if-there-were-no-little-ones/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [There would be no great men if there were no little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/there-would-be-no-great-men-if-there-were-no-little-ones/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [All the great temptations appear first in the region of the mind and can be fought and conquered there. We have been given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/all-the-great-temptations-appear-first-in-the-region-of-the-mind-and/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) > [artists are exposed to great temptations: their eyes see paradise before their souls have reached it, and that is a great danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/artists-are-exposed-to-great-temptations-their-eyes-see-paradise/) [Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/) > [Great rogues hang the little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cardinal-mazarin/great-rogues-hang-the-little-ones/) Cardinal Mazarin > [You aspire to great things? Begin with the little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/you-aspire-to-great-things-begin-with-the-little-ones/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [“The ones that rip my heart from my chest are the little ones. The children, with tangled hair and dirty clothes, covering their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/the-ones-that-rip-my-heart-from-my-chest-are-the-little-ones-the/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [I've never done a big studio film, I've only ever done little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-blethyn/i-ve-never-done-a-big-studio-film-i-ve-only-ever-done-little-ones/) [Brenda Blethyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-blethyn/) > [“The little ones are the only good human beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-little-ones-are-the-only-good-human-beings/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The most magical moments for me come from the little ones in elementary school. They ask adorable and meaningful questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cohen/the-most-magical-moments-for-me-come-from-the-little-ones-in/) [Scott Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cohen/) > [When little ones say they want to go home, they almost never mean it. They mean they are tired of this particular game and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-little-ones-say-they-want-to-go-home-they-almost-never-mean-it/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“Who will you be my Little Ones? Who will you be, my Little Ones? Will you dance for the fires of your youth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carew-papritz/who-will-you-be-my-little-ones-who-will-you-be-my-little-ones-will/) [Carew Papritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carew-papritz/) > [Throw back the little ones, and pan-fry the big ones. Use tact, poise, and reason, and gently squeeze them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steely-dan/throw-back-the-little-ones-and-pan-fry-the-big-ones-use-tact-poise/) [Steely Dan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steely-dan/) > [“when these little ones don’t receive the love, they need in their homes, they seek attention outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/when-these-little-ones-don-t-receive-the-love-they-need-in-their/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Little books are the things to write at my age, I've decided. Avoid the big ones, go for the little ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/little-books-are-the-things-to-write-at-my-age-i-ve-decided-avoid-the/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not the great temptations that ruin us; it is the little ones.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John William De Forest" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-de-forest/it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-ruin-us-it-is-the-little-ones/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-de-forest/it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-ruin-us-it-is-the-little-ones/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/john-william-de-forest-249794_desire_it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-rui_1003621.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/john-william-de-forest-249794_desire_it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-rui_1003621.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e51/john-william-de-forest-249794_desire_it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-rui_1003621.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not the great temptations that ruin us; it is the little ones.” — John William De Forest", "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 William De Forest", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-william-de-forest/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is not the great temptations...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-de-forest/it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-ruin-us-it-is-the-little-ones/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-william-de-forest/it-is-not-the-great-temptations-that-ruin-us-it-is-the-little-ones/#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 } } ] } ```