--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are people who are virtuous only in…" description: "\"There are people who are virtuous only in a piece-meal way; virtue is a fabric from which they never make themselves a whole garment.\" — Joseph Joubert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/joseph-joubert-1017_character_there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-i_1305729.png" --- # There are people who are virtuous only in a piece-meal… ![“There are people who are virtuous only in a piece-meal way; virtue is a fabric from which they never make themselves a whole garment.” quote by Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/joseph-joubert-1017_character_there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-i_1305729.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/joseph-joubert-1017_character_there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-i_1305729.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/joseph-joubert-1017_character_there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-i_1305729.png) > “There are people who are virtuous only in a piece-meal way; virtue is a fabric from which they never make themselves a whole garment.” [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Virtue must be whole, not fragmented; partial goodness does not make a complete moral character. **In simple terms:** Virtue should be complete, not piecemeal. Key Takeaway Strive for integrated moral development. Themes morality integrity wholeness Mood introspective serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership - community service Key Concepts ethical consistency character building Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your character need integration? - How can you avoid selective morality? A Different Perspective Partial virtues can be praised but may hide deeper flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric/) [Garments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garments/) [Meals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meals/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Virtuous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-virtuous-1285011/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Virtue Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue-fabric-4302729/) [Virtuous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtuous/) [Virtuous Piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtuous-piece-4302730/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-virtue-3278711/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [“She was a whore all the way through – and that was her virtue!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-was-a-whore-all-the-way-through-and-that-was-her-virtue/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Those who stand in the way of virtue shall fail!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-bei/those-who-stand-in-the-way-of-virtue-shall-fail/) [Liu Bei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-bei/) > [Follow the way of virtue. Follow the way joyfully through this world and on beyond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/follow-the-way-of-virtue-follow-the-way-joyfully-through-this-world/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [There is no royal road or ready way to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/there-is-no-royal-road-or-ready-way-to-virtue/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Shaming people into being virtuous doesn't change behaviour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaan-tallinn/shaming-people-into-being-virtuous-doesn-t-change-behaviour/) [Jaan Tallinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaan-tallinn/) > [We are not attracted to people because they are virtuous. In fact, there's something a little creepy about people who are too good. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/we-are-not-attracted-to-people-because-they-are-virtuous-in-fact/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [Il n'y a que deux sortes d'hommes: les uns justes, qui se croient pe cheurs; les autres pe cheurs, qui se croient justes. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/il-n-y-a-que-deux-sortes-d-hommes-les-uns-justes-qui-se-croient-pe/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“They stole from rich merchants and temples and kings. They didn't steal from poor people; this was not because there was anything virtuous about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/they-stole-from-rich-merchants-and-temples-and-kings-they-didn-t/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Such attributes as virtue or intelligence aren't additive. It's absurd to maintain that two evil people can somehow be more virtuous than one decent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith-2/such-attributes-as-virtue-or-intelligence-aren-t-additive-it-s-absurd/) [L Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith-2/) > [I have observed that you treat a man as an old garment to be taken apart and stitched again. Perhaps you could think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-leavitt/i-have-observed-that-you-treat-a-man-as-an-old-garment-to-be-taken/) [Martine Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-leavitt/) > [Wearing a breathable fabric is the most important thing for me. I also love to keep it simple and keep the number of garments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-rhoda/wearing-a-breathable-fabric-is-the-most-important-thing-for-me-i-also/) [Hilary Rhoda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-rhoda/) > [Love was a sacred garment, woven of a fabric so thin that it could not be seen, yet so strong that even mighty death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/love-was-a-sacred-garment-woven-of-a-fabric-so-thin-that-it-could-not/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Remember - the fault is in the garment, certainly not the girl. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with the shape of her. Some designers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-bear-bergman/remember-the-fault-is-in-the-garment-certainly-not-the-girl-there-is/) [S. Bear Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-bear-bergman/) > [Grace is in garments, in movements, in manners; beauty in the nude, and in forms. This is true of bodies; but when we speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/grace-is-in-garments-in-movements-in-manners-beauty-in-the-nude-and/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [“Take care of your costume and your confidence will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/take-care-of-your-costume-and-your-confidence-will-take-care-of-itself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) ## More by Joseph Joubert > [Living requires but little life; doing requires much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/living-requires-but-little-life-doing-requires-much/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [A false mind is false in everything, just as a cross eye always looks askant. But one may err once, nay, a hundred times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/a-false-mind-is-false-in-everything-just-as-a-cross-eye-always-looks/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Criticism even should not be without its charms. When quite devoid of all amenities, it is no longer literary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/criticism-even-should-not-be-without-its-charms-when-quite-devoid-of/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [What a man knows only through feeling can be explained only through enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/what-a-man-knows-only-through-feeling-can-be-explained-only-through/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Imagination is the eye of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/imagination-is-the-eye-of-the-soul/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [One man finds in religion his literature and his science, another finds in it his joy and his duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/one-man-finds-in-religion-his-literature-and-his-science-another/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Which is more misshapen,--religion without virtue, or virtue without religion?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/which-is-more-misshapen-religion-without-virtue-or-virtue-without/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [How many people become abstract as a way of appearing profound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/how-many-people-become-abstract-as-a-way-of-appearing-profound/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [How many books there are whose reputation is made that would not obtain it were it now to make?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/how-many-books-there-are-whose-reputation-is-made-that-would-not/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [God has commanded Time to console the unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/god-has-commanded-time-to-console-the-unhappy/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [We shall always keep a spare corner in our heads to give passing hospitality to our friends' opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/we-shall-always-keep-a-spare-corner-in-our-heads-to-give-passing/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Agriculture engenders good sense, and good sense of an excellent kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/agriculture-engenders-good-sense-and-good-sense-of-an-excellent-kind/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [We may convince others by our arguements, but we can only persuade them by their own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/we-may-convince-others-by-our-arguements-but-we-can-only-persuade/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [To teach is to learn twice. About all some parents accomplish in life is to send a child to Harvard. The purpose of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/to-teach-is-to-learn-twice-about-all-some-parents-accomplish-in-life/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Grace is in garments, in movements, in manners; beauty in the nude, and in forms. This is true of bodies; but when we speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/grace-is-in-garments-in-movements-in-manners-beauty-in-the-nude-and/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) [Explore all 306 Joseph Joubert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are people who are virtuous only in a piece-meal way; virtue is a fabric from which they never make themselves a whole garment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Joubert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-in-a-piece-meal-way-virtue-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-in-a-piece-meal-way-virtue-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/joseph-joubert-1017_character_there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-i_1305729.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/joseph-joubert-1017_character_there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-i_1305729.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cf/joseph-joubert-1017_character_there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-i_1305729.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are people who are virtuous only in a piece-meal way; virtue is a fabric from which they never make…” — Joseph Joubert", "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": "Joseph Joubert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are people who are virtuous...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-in-a-piece-meal-way-virtue-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/there-are-people-who-are-virtuous-only-in-a-piece-meal-way-virtue-is/#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 } } ] } ```