---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ethical life... is maintained in…"
description: "\"The ethical life... is maintained in being by a common culture, which also upholds the togetherness of society... Unlike the modern youth culture, a co..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/roger-scruton-971_adults_the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being_353124.jpg"
---

#  The ethical life... is maintained in being by a common…

![“The ethical life... is maintained in being by a common culture, which also upholds the togetherness of society... Unlike the modern youth culture, a common culture sanctifies the adult state, to which it offers rites of passage.” quote by Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/roger-scruton-971_adults_the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being_353124.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/roger-scruton-971_adults_the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being_353124.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/roger-scruton-971_adults_the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being_353124.jpg)

> “The ethical life... is maintained in being by a common culture, which also upholds the togetherness of society... Unlike the modern youth culture, a common culture sanctifies the adult state, to which it offers rites of passage.”

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A shared cultural foundation sustains ethical behavior and social cohesion, offering rites of passage that bind adults together, unlike fragmented modern youth culture.

**In simple terms:** Common culture supports ethics and unity.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate shared traditions.

Themes

ethics culture society rituals

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical social

When to use this quote

- education
- public ceremonies
- community projects

Key Concepts

sociology philosophy community building

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies revive common rites?
- What role do traditions play in adult identity?

A Different Perspective

Modern individualism can resist shared rites.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Common culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-culture/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Rite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rite/) [Rite of passage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rite-of-passage/) [Togetherness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/togetherness/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) [Youth culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth-culture/)

## Related quotes

> [ He \[The Dalai Lama\] has made it his mission to say, "We can't afford to squabble over minor differences, we have to concentrate on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/he-the-dalai-lama-has-made-it-his-mission-to-say-we-can-t-afford-to/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [Faith exalts the human heart, by removing it from the market-place, making it sacred and unexchangeable. Under the jurisdiction of religion our deeper feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/faith-exalts-the-human-heart-by-removing-it-from-the-market-place/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [The core of common culture is religion. Tribes survive and flourish because they have gods, who fuse many wills into a single will, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-core-of-common-culture-is-religion-tribes-survive-and-flourish/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [The longing for initiation is universal and for modern youth, it is a desperate need. When nothing is offered in the way of spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/the-longing-for-initiation-is-universal-and-for-modern-youth-it-is-a/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [“Those whom we have culture in common we are meant to carry the beauty of culture into the future so others can benefit from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilwaad-isa/those-whom-we-have-culture-in-common-we-are-meant-to-carry-the-beauty/)

[Ilwaad isa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilwaad-isa/)

> [Unless modern civilization is a failure, it is entirely feasible and practicable for two races in such essential political, economic and religious harmony as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/unless-modern-civilization-is-a-failure-it-is-entirely-feasible-and/)

[W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/)

> [I feel an almost overwhelming interest in the methods of daylight abduction employed by the modern youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgette-heyer/i-feel-an-almost-overwhelming-interest-in-the-methods-of-daylight/)

[Georgette Heyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgette-heyer/)

> [Never neglect an opportunity to play leap-frog; it is the best of all games, and, unlike the terribly serious and conscientious pastimes of modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/never-neglect-an-opportunity-to-play-leap-frog-it-is-the-best-of-all/)

[Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/)

> [Great Music, it said, and Great Poetry would like quieten Modern Youth down and make Modern Youth more Civilized. Civilized my syphilised yarbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/great-music-it-said-and-great-poetry-would-like-quieten-modern-youth/)

[Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/)

> [Since I'm only 24 years old, guess I have as good an insight into this rising generation as any other young man my age.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/since-i-m-only-24-years-old-guess-i-have-as-good-an-insight-into-this/)

[James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/)

> [“What we mean when we say that something is "cultural" is that it is roughly similar to what we find in other members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pascal-boyer/what-we-mean-when-we-say-that-something-is-cultural-is-that-it-is/)

[Pascal Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pascal-boyer/)

> [If mass communications blend together harmoniously, and often unnoticeably, art, politics, religion, and philosophy with commercials, they bring these realms of culture to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/if-mass-communications-blend-together-harmoniously-and-often/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [“To be a good human is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/to-be-a-good-human-is-to-have-a-kind-of-openness-to-the-world-an/)

[Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/)

> [A genuine consideration of others is essential to an ethical life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-genuine-consideration-of-others-is-essential-to-an-ethical-life/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-good-human-being-is-to-have-a-kind-of-openness-to-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Roger Scruton

> [Beauty is vanishing from our world because we live as though it does not matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/beauty-is-vanishing-from-our-world-because-we-live-as-though-it-does/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [“So conceived, the English police force served to emphasize a fundamental truth about the English law, which is that it exists not to control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/so-conceived-the-english-police-force-served-to-emphasize-a/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [My 2018 ended with a hate storm, in response to my appointment as chair of the government's Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/my-2018-ended-with-a-hate-storm-in-response-to-my-appointment-as/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [I've never been an optimist, but that's fine because pessimists have the possibility of being agreeably surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-ve-never-been-an-optimist-but-that-s-fine-because-pessimists-have/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [Unlike every other product that is now manufactured for the table, wine exists in as many varieties as there are people who produce it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/unlike-every-other-product-that-is-now-manufactured-for-the-table/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [The abstract, unreal freedom of the liberal intellect was really nothing more than childish disobedience, amplified into anarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-abstract-unreal-freedom-of-the-liberal-intellect-was-really/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [“I think we can all see the force of the idea that there are certain things that cannot be done to human beings –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-think-we-can-all-see-the-force-of-the-idea-that-there-are-certain/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [When art becomes merely shock value, our sense of humanity is slowly degraded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/when-art-becomes-merely-shock-value-our-sense-of-humanity-is-slowly/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [“Western democracies did not create the virtue of citizenship; on the contrary, they grew from it. Nothing is more evident in The Federalist than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/western-democracies-did-not-create-the-virtue-of-citizenship-on-the/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [“If one looks back to the French Revolution, one sees just how easy it is for the doctrine of “human rights” to become an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/if-one-looks-back-to-the-french-revolution-one-sees-just-how-easy-it/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [“I say it was immediately apparent, but it was not apparent to the intellectual class, which has remained largely wedded to the post-war consensus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/i-say-it-was-immediately-apparent-but-it-was-not-apparent-to-the/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [Conservatives hold on to things not only because they are attached to them, but also because they do not see the sense in radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/conservatives-hold-on-to-things-not-only-because-they-are-attached-to/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [“Academic philosophers in the English speaking world still regard philosophy as Locke defined it in the 17th century, as “the handmaiden of the sciences”:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/academic-philosophers-in-the-english-speaking-world-still-regard/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [Delia Smith is, actually, my bete noire. I consider her a most pernicious influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/delia-smith-is-actually-my-bete-noire-i-consider-her-a-most/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

> [Modern art was born from a desire to destroy kitsch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/modern-art-was-born-from-a-desire-to-destroy-kitsch/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

[Explore all 317 Roger Scruton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

## More Adults quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/)

[Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/)

> [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/)

[Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/)

> [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/)

K. Anders Ericsson

> [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/)

One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named

> [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/)

[Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/)

> [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/)

[Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/)

[Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The ethical life... is maintained in being by a common culture, which also upholds the togetherness of society... Unlike the modern youth culture, a common culture sanctifies the adult state, to which it offers rites of passage.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roger Scruton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being-by-a-common-culture-which/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adults"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being-by-a-common-culture-which/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/roger-scruton-971_adults_the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being_353124.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/roger-scruton-971_adults_the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being_353124.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ce/roger-scruton-971_adults_the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being_353124.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The ethical life... is maintained in being by a common culture, which also upholds the togetherness of…” — Roger Scruton",
                "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": "Roger Scruton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The ethical life... is maintained in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being-by-a-common-culture-which/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/the-ethical-life-is-maintained-in-being-by-a-common-culture-which/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
