--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They should live all together on an equal…" description: "\"“They should live all together on an equal footing; merit to be their only road to eminence, and the disgrace of evil, and credit of worthy acts, their..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/439/plutarch-597_eminence_they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equa_2902500.jpg" --- # They should live all together on an equal footing; merit… ![“They should live all together on an equal footing; merit to be their only road to eminence, and the disgrace of evil, and credit of worthy acts, their one measure of difference between man and man.” quote by Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/439/plutarch-597_eminence_they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equa_2902500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/439/plutarch-597_eminence_they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equa_2902500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/439/plutarch-597_eminence_they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equa_2902500.jpg) > ““They should live all together on an equal footing; merit to be their only road to eminence, and the disgrace of evil, and credit of worthy acts, their one measure of difference between man and man.”” [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates equality based on merit, using moral conduct as the sole measure of human worth. **In simple terms:** Equality through merit and virtue. Key Takeaway Judge people by actions, not birth. Themes equality merit ethics social justice human dignity Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - employment - education - law - community leadership Key Concepts Moral philosophy social hierarchy virtue ethics Questions to Reflect On - Can true meritocracy exist without bias? - How do you ensure fairness in evaluating merit? A Different Perspective May ignore systemic barriers that affect merit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Meritocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meritocracy/) ## Related quotes > [Men of all social stations live together: they are equal in their desires, yet vary in their methods; they are equal in their passions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xunzi/men-of-all-social-stations-live-together-they-are-equal-in-their/) [Xunzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xunzi/) > [When someone has found not just another person they can live with but a person they can't live without, they should have an equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shorten/when-someone-has-found-not-just-another-person-they-can-live-with-but/) [Bill Shorten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shorten/) > [I don't subscribe to the view that people who are better off don't want to live in a more equal society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keir-starmer/i-don-t-subscribe-to-the-view-that-people-who-are-better-off-don-t/) [Keir Starmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keir-starmer/) > [I'm not a power person. I like everyone to be on an equal footing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-m-not-a-power-person-i-like-everyone-to-be-on-an-equal-footing/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“Give A Child Some Measure Of Confidence And You Have Caused Him To Stand On Equal Footing With His Counterparts...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e-2/give-a-child-some-measure-of-confidence-and-you-have-caused-him-to/) Agu, Jaachynma N.E > [The obligation of the state is to guarantee freedom of religion, and that implies dealing with all of them on an equal footing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-alarcon/the-obligation-of-the-state-is-to-guarantee-freedom-of-religion-and/) Ricardo Alarcon > [“No despotism, no privileged monopolies, no police societies, no divine rights of the emirs or feudal landlords or shady priests and sheikhs. All had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rami-ollaik/no-despotism-no-privileged-monopolies-no-police-societies-no-divine/) [Rami Ollaik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rami-ollaik/) > [It is no slight testimonial, both to the merit and worth of Christianity, that in all ages since its promulgation the great mass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/it-is-no-slight-testimonial-both-to-the-merit-and-worth-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [The world is not a meritocracy, as much as we may like to pretend that it is. And we have a long way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-world-is-not-a-meritocracy-as-much-as-we-may-like-to-pretend-that/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [If I were a German today, I would be proud, proud but also worried. I would be proud of the magnificent achievement of rebuilding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/if-i-were-a-german-today-i-would-be-proud-proud-but-also-worried-i/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [The chief distinction in the intellectual powers of the two sexes is shown by mans attaining to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-chief-distinction-in-the-intellectual-powers-of-the-two-sexes-is/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Distinction is an eminence that is attained but too frequently at the expense of a fireside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/distinction-is-an-eminence-that-is-attained-but-too-frequently-at-the/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [The building of Kuwait and her Eminence, it's defense and protection, is primarily a responsibility by her people and the efforts of her children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah/the-building-of-kuwait-and-her-eminence-it-s-defense-and-protection/) [Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Plutarch > [When Eudæmonidas heard a philosopher arguing that only a wise man can be a good general, "This is a wonderful speech," said he; "but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/when-eud-monidas-heard-a-philosopher-arguing-that-only-a-wise-man-can/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [The generous mind adds dignity to every act, and nothing misbecomes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-generous-mind-adds-dignity-to-every-act-and-nothing-misbecomes-it/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Painting is silent poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/painting-is-silent-poetry/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [King Agis said, "The Lacedæmonians are not wont to ask how many, but where the enemy are."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/king-agis-said-the-laced-monians-are-not-wont-to-ask-how-many-but/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Alexander wept when he heard from Anaxarchus that there was an infinite number of worlds; and his friends asking him if any accident had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/alexander-wept-when-he-heard-from-anaxarchus-that-there-was-an/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Proper listening is the foundation of proper living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/proper-listening-is-the-foundation-of-proper-living/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/painting-is-silent-poetry-and-poetry-is-painting-that-speaks/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Speech is like cloth of Arras opened and put abroad, whereby the imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/speech-is-like-cloth-of-arras-opened-and-put-abroad-whereby-the/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [There were two brothers called Both and Either; perceiving Either was a good, understanding, busy fellow, and Both a silly fellow and good for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/there-were-two-brothers-called-both-and-either-perceiving-either-was/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [Why does pouring Oil on the Sea make it Clear and Calm? Is it that the winds, slipping the smooth oil, have no force,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/why-does-pouring-oil-on-the-sea-make-it-clear-and-calm-is-it-that-the/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [This excerpt is presented as reproduced by Copernicus in the preface to De Revolutionibus: "Some think that the earth remains at rest. But Philolaus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/this-excerpt-is-presented-as-reproduced-by-copernicus-in-the-preface/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [It is part of a good man to do great and noble deeds, though he risk everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/it-is-part-of-a-good-man-to-do-great-and-noble-deeds-though-he-risk/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [I am whatever was, or is, or will be; and my veil no mortal ever took up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/i-am-whatever-was-or-is-or-will-be-and-my-veil-no-mortal-ever-took-up/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [The pilot cannot mitigate the billows or calm the winds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-pilot-cannot-mitigate-the-billows-or-calm-the-winds/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [“In Springtime, O Dionysos, To thy holy temple come, To Elis with thy Graces, Rushing with thy bull-foot, come, Noble Bull, Noble Bull”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/in-springtime-o-dionysos-to-thy-holy-temple-come-to-elis-with-thy/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) [Explore all 451 Plutarch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) ## More Eminence quotes > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The building of Kuwait and her Eminence, it's defense and protection, is primarily a responsibility by her people and the efforts of her children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah/the-building-of-kuwait-and-her-eminence-it-s-defense-and-protection/) [Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaber-al-ahmad-al-sabah/) > [Distinction is an eminence that is attained but too frequently at the expense of a fireside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gilmore-simms/distinction-is-an-eminence-that-is-attained-but-too-frequently-at-the/) [William Gilmore Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gilmore-simms/) > [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [The chief distinction in the intellectual powers of the two sexes is shown by mans attaining to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-chief-distinction-in-the-intellectual-powers-of-the-two-sexes-is/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [If I were a German today, I would be proud, proud but also worried. I would be proud of the magnificent achievement of rebuilding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/if-i-were-a-german-today-i-would-be-proud-proud-but-also-worried-i/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I do not find illness an eminence, and I do not understand how people can use it to draw attention to themselves since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-do-not-find-illness-an-eminence-and-i-do-not-understand-how-people/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I will be satisfied if my epitaph shall be written thus: 'Here lies one who never rose to any eminence, who only courted the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thaddeus-stevens/i-will-be-satisfied-if-my-epitaph-shall-be-written-thus-here-lies-one/) [Thaddeus Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thaddeus-stevens/) > [The one profession where you can gain great eminence without ever being right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meany/the-one-profession-where-you-can-gain-great-eminence-without-ever/) [George Meany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meany/) > [Power is seldom innocent, and envy is the yokefellow of eminence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/power-is-seldom-innocent-and-envy-is-the-yokefellow-of-eminence/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [An incessant change of means to attain unalterable ends is always going on; we must take care not to let these sundry means undo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/an-incessant-change-of-means-to-attain-unalterable-ends-is-always/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [There is a form of eminence which does not depend on fate; it is an air which sets us apart and seems to prtend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/there-is-a-form-of-eminence-which-does-not-depend-on-fate-it-is-an/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [In conclusion I congratulate you, my fellow-citizens, upon the high state of prosperity to which the goodness of Divine Providence has conducted our common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-taylor/in-conclusion-i-congratulate-you-my-fellow-citizens-upon-the-high/) [Zachary Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-taylor/) > [It is no slight testimonial, both to the merit and worth of Christianity, that in all ages since its promulgation the great mass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/it-is-no-slight-testimonial-both-to-the-merit-and-worth-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [ \[Science\] has challenged the super-eminence of religion; it has turned all philosophy out of doors except that which clings to its skirts; it has… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-fullerton-gerould/science-has-challenged-the-super-eminence-of-religion-it-has-turned/) [Katharine Fullerton Gerould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-fullerton-gerould/) Browse all 89 Eminence quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They should live all together on an equal footing; merit to be their only road to eminence, and the disgrace of evil, and credit of worthy acts, their one measure of difference between man and man.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plutarch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equal-footing-merit-to-be-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eminence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equal-footing-merit-to-be-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/439/plutarch-597_eminence_they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equa_2902500.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/439/plutarch-597_eminence_they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equa_2902500.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/439/plutarch-597_eminence_they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equa_2902500.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They should live all together on an equal footing; merit to be their only road to eminence, and the disgrace…” — Plutarch", "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": "Plutarch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They should live all together on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equal-footing-merit-to-be-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/they-should-live-all-together-on-an-equal-footing-merit-to-be-their/#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 } } ] } ```