--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But now the emphasis has shifted to…" description: "\"“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/saul-bellow-558_faith-hope_but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-maki_71226.png" --- # But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have… ![“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a change that accelerated with the boom after the war. . . . There has been a surrender to pragmatism; the true is what makes you successful and…” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/saul-bellow-558_faith-hope_but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-maki_71226.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/saul-bellow-558_faith-hope_but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-maki_71226.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/saul-bellow-558_faith-hope_but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-maki_71226.png) > ““But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a change that accelerated with the boom after the war. . . . There has been a surrender to pragmatism; the true is what makes you successful and the false is what makes you fail. But I wonder what happens to faith, hope and charity in such a situation? People began to form their moral ideas not in the old way but by their professions and guilds; that tends to transfer sin to the corporation.”” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques how modern society has outsourced personal morality to institutions, prioritizing pragmatic success over ethical values, and questions the fate of virtues like faith, hope, and charity. **In simple terms:** Institutional moral outsourcing erodes personal virtue. Key Takeaway Success is redefined by pragmatism, not ethics. Themes Morality Institutional Influence Pragmatism Virtue Corporate Ethics Mood Reflective Critical Type Philosophical Social Commentary When to use this quote - Corporate decision‑making - Educational curricula - Psychological counseling Key Concepts Moral Relativism Social Conditioning Ethical Consequences Practical Applications - Designing ethics training that balances practicality with virtue Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals retain personal moral agency within large institutions? - What mechanisms could preserve faith, hope, and charity in a pragmatist culture? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) ## Related quotes > [My own personal, moral, spiritual, religious, etc. beliefs don't oppose same-gender marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-case/my-own-personal-moral-spiritual-religious-etc-beliefs-don-t-oppose/) [Ed Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-case/) > [My parents did great and provided well, and gave all their kids personal, moral, ethical values, not a belief that we were entitled to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/my-parents-did-great-and-provided-well-and-gave-all-their-kids/) [Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/) > [If it's possible to have an enemy without making it personal or moral, then that's what I'm trying to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-mccombs/if-it-s-possible-to-have-an-enemy-without-making-it-personal-or-moral/) [Cass McCombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-mccombs/) > [Don't assume that your personal moral compass, however admirable it may be, will always give you the right answer to complicated questions that require…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-badaracco/don-t-assume-that-your-personal-moral-compass-however-admirable-it/) [Joseph Badaracco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-badaracco/) > [“Good character is all about improving your personal moral values to advance to a more desirable state.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jessalyn-cox/good-character-is-all-about-improving-your-personal-moral-values-to/) Joan Jessalyn Cox > [A man should live his life a certain way not because of some divine authority, but because of a personal moral obligation to himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/a-man-should-live-his-life-a-certain-way-not-because-of-some-divine/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“A society whose moral ideas inhibit their own defense will always suffer defeat by the very predators they deem immoral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-wayne-white/a-society-whose-moral-ideas-inhibit-their-own-defense-will-always-2/) [Randy Wayne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-wayne-white/) > [For millions of men and women, the church has been the hospital for the soul, the school for the mind and the safe depository…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/for-millions-of-men-and-women-the-church-has-been-the-hospital-for/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [“For my own part, I was much occupied in learning to ride the bicycle, and busy upon a series of papers discussing the probable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/for-my-own-part-i-was-much-occupied-in-learning-to-ride-the-bicycle/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [“For me it is an internal law to do good. In my whole life I have endeavored to realize high moral values; I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-szl-polg-r/for-me-it-is-an-internal-law-to-do-good-in-my-whole-life-i-have/) László Polgár > [The test of moral ideas is moral results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-blackwell/the-test-of-moral-ideas-is-moral-results/) [Morton Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morton-blackwell/) > [“Moral ideas about what constitutes a meritorious or meaningful use of one’s life and opportunities produce specific attitudes towards drug use and intoxication.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-waterman/moral-ideas-about-what-constitutes-a-meritorious-or-meaningful-use-of/) [Daniel Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-waterman/) > [Force cannot transmit a moral principle: moral ideas can be received only through the reason of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-markham/force-cannot-transmit-a-moral-principle-moral-ideas-can-be-received/) [Edwin Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-markham/) > [If no set of moral ideas were truer or better than any other, there would be no sense in preferring civilised morality to savage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-no-set-of-moral-ideas-were-truer-or-better-than-any-other-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I believe in Free Will, the Force Almighty by which we conduct ourselves as if we were the sons and daughters of a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-believe-in-free-will-the-force-almighty-by-which-we-conduct/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enemy-and-that-is-to-write-as/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More Faith hope quotes > [“If you believe, have faith and hope then you'll discover love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-raye/if-you-believe-have-faith-and-hope-then-you-ll-discover-love/) Donna Raye > [“All believers must learn the habit of inwardly redirecting thoughts toward faith, hope and love, and away from the lies that create hopelessness, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-backlund/all-believers-must-learn-the-habit-of-inwardly-redirecting-thoughts/) Steve Backlund > [The word "hope" I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-word-hope-i-take-for-faith-and-indeed-hope-is-nothing-else-but/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“The upshot was that she lost her religion - with a vengeance - and walked out on him, taking these three daughters with her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/the-upshot-was-that-she-lost-her-religion-with-a-vengeance-and-walked/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [And now abideth faith, hope and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (I Corinthians 13:13).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/and-now-abideth-faith-hope-and-charity-these-three-but-the-greatest/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [“Let faith and hope be the cornerstones for all of your tomorrows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-l-parker/let-faith-and-hope-be-the-cornerstones-for-all-of-your-tomorrows/) [Deborah L. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-l-parker/) > [ “Paul in like manner declares, “Love is the fulfilling of the law:” and \[he declares\] that when all other things have been destroyed, there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/paul-in-like-manner-declares-love-is-the-fulfilling-of-the-law-and-he/) The Church Fathers > [“The pagan, or rational, virtues are such things as justice and temperance, and Christianity has adopted them. The three mystical virtues which Christianity has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-pagan-or-rational-virtues-are-such-things-as-justice-and/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“True religion, according to Romans, is about faith, hope, love; about the cross of Christ, and the love of God. It is about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-ford/true-religion-according-to-romans-is-about-faith-hope-love-about-the/) [Desmond Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-ford/) > [In the garden of the soul, the virtues of faith, hope, and love form the centerpiece. Traditionally called theological virtues, they come as free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morneau/in-the-garden-of-the-soul-the-virtues-of-faith-hope-and-love-form-the/) Robert Morneau > [“faith and hope isn't about what you will receive, it is about what you believe. It takes great faith to trust that no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-bixler/faith-and-hope-isn-t-about-what-you-will-receive-it-is-about-what-you/) [Heather Bixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-bixler/) > [“Faith, hope and love should be balloons lifting you up, not anchors weighing you down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/faith-hope-and-love-should-be-balloons-lifting-you-up-not-anchors/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [“The courage is light of one’s life, is the beauty of today. The hope of one’s soul, is the promise of a tomorrow. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelica-hopes/the-courage-is-light-of-one-s-life-is-the-beauty-of-today-the-hope-of/) [Angelica Hopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelica-hopes/) > [Have faith, hope, and charity, that's the way to live successfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cornell/have-faith-hope-and-charity-that-s-the-way-to-live-successfully/) Don Cornell > [Faith is the root, the necessary beginning. Hope is the stem, the energy that makes the plant grow. Love is the fruit, the flower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/faith-is-the-root-the-necessary-beginning-hope-is-the-stem-the-energy/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) Browse all 220 Faith hope quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. 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