Bears Quote by Joseph Addison
“Content thyself to be obscurely good. When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway, the post of honoris a private station.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Spectator, No. 447, 1712
Obscure virtue is valuable when society is corrupt and power lies with immoral people.
In simple terms: Being modestly good matters in a corrupt world.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate quiet integrity despite prevailing immorality.
Themes
virtue
corruption
humility
Mood
contemplative
serious
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- political leadership
- personal ethics
- community standards
- civic engagement
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How can one maintain integrity when surrounded by vice?
- What role does humility play in corrupt environments?
A Different Perspective
Not all societies value modest goodness equally.
![“Unfaithfulness in public stations is deeply criminal [he wrote to Abigail]. But there is no encouragement to be faithful. Neither profit, nor honor, nor applause is acquired by faithfulness. . . . There is too much corruption, even in this infant age of our Republic. Virtue is not in fashion. Vice…” quote by David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/328/david-mccullough-1091_character_unfaithfulness-in-public-stations-is-dee_3011979.jpg)
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)
