--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But as far as true goodness was…" description: "\"“But as far as true goodness was concerned, that didn't exist - not in the land of cowardly men.”\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/paulo-coelho-10_goodness_but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerne_491154.jpg" --- # But as far as true goodness was concerned, that didn't… ![“But as far as true goodness was concerned, that didn't exist - not in the land of cowardly men.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/paulo-coelho-10_goodness_but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerne_491154.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/paulo-coelho-10_goodness_but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerne_491154.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/paulo-coelho-10_goodness_but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerne_491154.jpg) > ““But as far as true goodness was concerned, that didn't exist - not in the land of cowardly men.”” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True goodness is absent where cowardice dominates, implying moral decay in fearful societies. **In simple terms:** Cowardice erodes genuine goodness. Key Takeaway Cultivate courage to foster virtue. Themes courage morality societal health integrity Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - leadership - community building - political activism - personal growth Key Concepts ethical philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does fear influence your ethical choices? - Can courage exist without risk? A Different Perspective Fear can also motivate self‑preservation, complicating moral judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) ## Related quotes > [“We are all the same instincts-- Good and Evil struggled between us. It was all a matter of control. And choice. Nothing more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-all-the-same-instincts-good-and-evil-struggled-between-us-it/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Courageous men never lose the zest for living even though their life situation is zestless; cowardly men, overwhelmed by the uncertainties of life, lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/courageous-men-never-lose-the-zest-for-living-even-though-their-life/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“His grandfather probably would have said that all men feel fear, but cowardly men deny it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/his-grandfather-probably-would-have-said-that-all-men-feel-fear-but/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [But then all that died down and as far as casting was concerned it didn't really matter that I had been on Broadway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taye-diggs/but-then-all-that-died-down-and-as-far-as-casting-was-concerned-it/) [Taye Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taye-diggs/) > [As far as I'm concerned, I didn't dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-i-didn-t-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I think, for the majority of my twenties, I was always so concerned with what I didn't have, or what I still wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lambert/i-think-for-the-majority-of-my-twenties-i-was-always-so-concerned/) [Adam Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lambert/) > [The parents always insisted on telling their child that their secret friends didn't exist - perhaps because they had forgotten that they too had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-parents-always-insisted-on-telling-their-child-that-their-secret/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I didn't even have a birth certificate until I was 9 years old, which meant that, according to the state of Idaho and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-didn-t-even-have-a-birth-certificate-until-i-was-9-years-old-which/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [As for where I am now, well, social media didn't exist when I was a child, and I never would have guessed just how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suw-charman-anderson/as-for-where-i-am-now-well-social-media-didn-t-exist-when-i-was-a/) [Suw Charman-Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suw-charman-anderson/) > [“On some deep, unconscious level, he had always known it to be true. He was an invention, a fictional character. Jacob Lightfoot didn't exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-sant/on-some-deep-unconscious-level-he-had-always-known-it-to-be-true-he/) [Sharon Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-sant/) > [I'm not saying that the gas chambers didn't exist. I couldn't see them myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-le-pen/i-m-not-saying-that-the-gas-chambers-didn-t-exist-i-couldn-t-see-them/) [Jean-Marie Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-le-pen/) > [I suppose I was dying again, so I asked the Lord of Permanent Affection for the strength to live the day. Clearly, the answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/i-suppose-i-was-dying-again-so-i-asked-the-lord-of-permanent/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [I got an A in philosophy because I proved my professor didn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-tenuta/i-got-an-a-in-philosophy-because-i-proved-my-professor-didn-t-exist/) [Judy Tenuta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-tenuta/) > [“The sonogram didn't exist at the time; the spoon was the next best thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/the-sonogram-didn-t-exist-at-the-time-the-spoon-was-the-next-best/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“She believed in Him; she always had. To think He didn’t exist . . . she’d be a shell empty of its nut. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-n-holmberg/she-believed-in-him-she-always-had-to-think-he-didn-t-exist-she-d-be/) [Charlie N. Holmberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-n-holmberg/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Goodness quotes > [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Love reacts with goodness towards those who ill-treat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-begg/love-reacts-with-goodness-towards-those-who-ill-treat-it/) [Alistair Begg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-begg/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [One may not doubt that, somehow Good Shall come of Water and of Mud; And sure, the reverent eye must see A purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/one-may-not-doubt-that-somehow-good-shall-come-of-water-and-of-mud/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [the path of goodness had a name it is called Love in it we find the key to every hope and has it's root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-path-of-goodness-had-a-name-it-is-called-love-in-it-we-find-the/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-family-remains-the-basic-unit-of-society-and-the-first-school-in/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [To make one good action succeed another, is the perfection of goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/to-make-one-good-action-succeed-another-is-the-perfection-of-goodness/) [Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/) > [The living can't quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can't because they don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-living-can-t-quit-living-because-the-world-has-turned-terrible/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The future teachers I try to recruit are those show have refused to let themselves be neutered in this way, either in their private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-future-teachers-i-try-to-recruit-are-those-show-have-refused-to/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [A good man therefore is a standing lesson to us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-good-man-therefore-is-a-standing-lesson-to-us-all/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [And if thy heart be straight with God then every creature shall be to thee a mirror of life and a book of holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/and-if-thy-heart-be-straight-with-god-then-every-creature-shall-be-to/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [“Sometimes resilience arrives in the moment you discover your own unshakeable goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/sometimes-resilience-arrives-in-the-moment-you-discover-your-own/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [What is sin? It is the glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/what-is-sin-it-is-the-glory-of-god-not-honored-the-holiness-of-god/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) [Browse all 3,129 Goodness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But as far as true goodness was concerned, that didn't exist - not in the land of cowardly men.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerned-that-didn-t-exist-not-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Goodness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerned-that-didn-t-exist-not-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/paulo-coelho-10_goodness_but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerne_491154.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/paulo-coelho-10_goodness_but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerne_491154.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/paulo-coelho-10_goodness_but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerne_491154.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But as far as true goodness was concerned, that didn't exist - not in the land of cowardly men.” — Paulo Coelho", "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": "Paulo Coelho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But as far as true goodness...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerned-that-didn-t-exist-not-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/but-as-far-as-true-goodness-was-concerned-that-didn-t-exist-not-in/#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 } } ] } ```