--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe it’s not, in the end, the virtues…" description: "\"Maybe it’s not, in the end, the virtues of others that so wrenches our hearts as it is the sense of almost unbearably poignant recognition when we see ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/355/michael-cunningham-1120_admirable_maybe-it-s-not-in-the-end-the-virtues-of_1305575.jpg" --- # Maybe it’s not, in the end, the virtues of others that so… ![“Maybe it’s not, in the end, the virtues of others that so wrenches our hearts as it is the sense of almost unbearably poignant recognition when we see them at their most base, in their sorrow and gluttony and foolishness. You need the virtues, too—some sort of virtues—but we don’t care about Emma…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/355/michael-cunningham-1120_admirable_maybe-it-s-not-in-the-end-the-virtues-of_1305575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/355/michael-cunningham-1120_admirable_maybe-it-s-not-in-the-end-the-virtues-of_1305575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/355/michael-cunningham-1120_admirable_maybe-it-s-not-in-the-end-the-virtues-of_1305575.jpg) > “Maybe it’s not, in the end, the virtues of others that so wrenches our hearts as it is the sense of almost unbearably poignant recognition when we see them at their most base, in their sorrow and gluttony and foolishness. You need the virtues, too—some sort of virtues—but we don’t care about Emma Bovary or Anna Karenina or Raskolnikov because they’re good. We care about them because they’re not admirable, because they’re us, and because great writers have forgiven them for it.” [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We are moved by flawed characters because they mirror our own imperfections, not because they are virtuous. **In simple terms:** Flawed people reflect us and move us. Key Takeaway Embrace complexity over idealization. Themes human nature literature empathy Mood melancholic introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - Therapy sessions - book clubs - creative writing Key Concepts Existentialism character study Questions to Reflect On - Which imperfect character resonated with you? - How does recognizing shared flaws affect judgment? A Different Perspective Idealizing virtue can limit understanding of humanity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anna Karenina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anna-karenina/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Foolishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolishness/) [Gluttony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gluttony/) [Great writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writers/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Poignant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poignant/) [Raskolnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raskolnikov/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [Virtues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtues/) ## Related quotes > [Seek the truth in all fields, and in that search you will need at least three virtues: courage, zest and modesty. The ancients put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-b-brown/seek-the-truth-in-all-fields-and-in-that-search-you-will-need-at/) [Hugh B. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-b-brown/) > [“All thy passions in the end became virtues, and all thy devils, angels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/all-thy-passions-in-the-end-became-virtues-and-all-thy-devils-angels/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [As Baudelaire said it so beautifully, Emma Bovary is an androgynous character. She cannot be reduced to a gender or a sociological type. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-barthes/as-baudelaire-said-it-so-beautifully-emma-bovary-is-an-androgynous/) [Sophie Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-barthes/) > [Gustave Flaubert said, "Emma Bovary, c'est moi." It is not possible to write something you are not, but to have a new form, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lore-segal/gustave-flaubert-said-emma-bovary-c-est-moi-it-is-not-possible-to/) [Lore Segal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lore-segal/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [You can examine the whole 19th century from the point of view of who would have maxed out their credit cards. Emma Bovary would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/you-can-examine-the-whole-19th-century-from-the-point-of-view-of-who/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Madame Bovary, c'est moi. Emma Bovary. She was the first. The first to thrash around in the space between a packaged wonder and reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-quirke/madame-bovary-c-est-moi-emma-bovary-she-was-the-first-the-first-to/) Antonia Quirke > [As a bookish child in Calcutta, I used to thrill to the adventures of bad girls whose pursuit of happiness swept them outside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bharati-mukherjee/as-a-bookish-child-in-calcutta-i-used-to-thrill-to-the-adventures-of/) [Bharati Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bharati-mukherjee/) > [Madame Bovary is one my favorite novels. Emma Bovary will always be an enigma, but as the years pass, I feel that I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-barthes/madame-bovary-is-one-my-favorite-novels-emma-bovary-will-always-be-an/) [Sophie Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-barthes/) > [“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/pain-and-suffering-are-always-inevitable-for-a-large-intelligence-and/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Novels are routinely denigrated when characters are not found to be likable. Is Raskolnikov likable? Is King Lear? The plethora of such naive readers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/novels-are-routinely-denigrated-when-characters-are-not-found-to-be/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [“Raskolnikov had been listening intently, but with a sense of unhealthy discomfort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/raskolnikov-had-been-listening-intently-but-with-a-sense-of-unhealthy/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“I love to hear singing to a street organ,” said Raskolnikov, and his manner seemed strangely out of keeping with the subject—“I like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-love-to-hear-singing-to-a-street-organ-said-raskolnikov-and-his/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [“Raskolnikov was not used to crowds, and, as we said before, he avoided society of every sort, more especially of late. But now all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/raskolnikov-was-not-used-to-crowds-and-as-we-said-before-he-avoided/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [I am the Raskolnikov of jerking off – the sticky evidence is everywhere!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/i-am-the-raskolnikov-of-jerking-off-the-sticky-evidence-is-everywhere/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## More by Michael Cunningham > [“Mizzy has wandered into the garden. Carole looks contemplatively at him, says, "Lovely boy." "My wife's insanely younger brother. He's one of those kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/mizzy-has-wandered-into-the-garden-carole-looks-contemplatively-at/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“Zoe loved Trancas's mother. She respected her exhausted and ironic hope for rebirth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/zoe-loved-trancas-s-mother-she-respected-her-exhausted-and-ironic/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“...a full week of their mother's quiet fury over the fun they don't seem to be having and their father's dogged attempts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-full-week-of-their-mother-s-quiet-fury-over-the-fun-they-don-t-seem/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Oh, all you immigrants and visionaries, what do you hope to find here, who do you hope to become?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/oh-all-you-immigrants-and-visionaries-what-do-you-hope-to-find-here/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She wants to have baked a cake that banishes sorrow, even if only for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-wants-to-have-baked-a-cake-that-banishes-sorrow-even-if-only-for/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And yet, it gives Peter nothing. Not now. Not today. Not when he needs... more. More than this well-executed idea. More than the shark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-yet-it-gives-peter-nothing-not-now-not-today-not-when-he-needs/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [He insists on a version of you that is funnier, stranger, more eccentric and prfound thatn you suspect yourself to be--capable of doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/he-insists-on-a-version-of-you-that-is-funnier-stranger-more/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-worst-are-full-of-passionate-intensity-while-the-best-lack-all/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And here he is, letting the massive steel street door click shut behind him, standing at the top of the three iron steps that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-here-he-is-letting-the-massive-steel-street-door-click-shut/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [It's the world, you live in it, even if some boy has made a fool of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-s-the-world-you-live-in-it-even-if-some-boy-has-made-a-fool-of-you/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord." "Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to-the-lord-frankly-it-creeps/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Any other vexations to report?" he asks. "I love the word 'vexations.'" "It's the 'x.' 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