--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I may do some good before I am dead--be a…" description: "\"I may do some good before I am dead--be a sort of success as a frightful example of what not to do; and so illustrate a moral story.\" — Thomas Hardy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/thomas-hardy-410_example_i-may-do-some-good-before-i-am-dead-be-a_1026864.jpg" --- # I may do some good before I am dead--be a sort of success… ![“I may do some good before I am dead--be a sort of success as a frightful example of what not to do; and so illustrate a moral story.” quote by Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/thomas-hardy-410_example_i-may-do-some-good-before-i-am-dead-be-a_1026864.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/thomas-hardy-410_example_i-may-do-some-good-before-i-am-dead-be-a_1026864.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/thomas-hardy-410_example_i-may-do-some-good-before-i-am-dead-be-a_1026864.jpg) > “I may do some good before I am dead--be a sort of success as a frightful example of what not to do; and so illustrate a moral story.” [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A cautionary legacy can serve as a powerful moral lesson, illustrating what to avoid. **In simple terms:** Bad examples teach valuable lessons. Key Takeaway Learn from others' mistakes. Themes morality legacy example warning Mood reflective serious Type literary ethical When to use this quote - family stories - public speeches - educational curricula - media narratives Key Concepts ethical teaching personal growth social influence Questions to Reflect On - What makes a negative example compelling? - When does a cautionary tale become harmful? A Different Perspective Positive role models may be more effective for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Frightful Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightful-example-2323039/) [Illustrate Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illustrate-moral-2323038/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Frightful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-frightful-2323037/) ## Related quotes > [“Just like in Jane Eyre, the moral of the story would be 'never forget that you're nothing but a sad sausage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-britt/just-like-in-jane-eyre-the-moral-of-the-story-would-be-never-forget/) [Fanny Britt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-britt/) > [You always fear when you're making a movie that has a moral to the story that people are going to reject the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/you-always-fear-when-you-re-making-a-movie-that-has-a-moral-to-the/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [“I suppose that the moral of this story is that trying to copy another woman, even a woman from the Bible, is almost always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-suppose-that-the-moral-of-this-story-is-that-trying-to-copy-another/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“But even if they could go home it would be difficult for me to tell you what the moral of the story is. 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Part of her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-soon-as-she-could-discern-the-outline-of-the-house-it-had-all-its/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [ The perfect woman, you see \[is\] a working-woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who \[uses\] her hands and her head… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-perfect-woman-you-see-is-a-working-woman-not-an-idler-not-a-fine/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“The Sinister Spirit sneered: 'It had to be!' And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, 'Why?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sinister-spirit-sneered-it-had-to-be-and-again-the-spirit-of-pity/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/justice-was-done-and-the-president-of-the-immortals-in-aeschylean/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Explore all 561 Thomas Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## More Example quotes > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. 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The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Men trust rather to their eyes than to their ears; the effect of precepts is therefore slow and tedious, whilst that of examples is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/men-trust-rather-to-their-eyes-than-to-their-ears-the-effect-of/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [You can have examples of reasons to hate people, but if you analyze those reasons it's like, Oh, I'm hating that person based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlyne-yi/you-can-have-examples-of-reasons-to-hate-people-but-if-you-analyze/) [Charlyne Yi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlyne-yi/) > [The protestant world is in great need of examples (like these) that will beckon us to the fullness of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-bickle/the-protestant-world-is-in-great-need-of-examples-like-these-that/) [Mike Bickle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-bickle/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I'm not the most vocal guy, but I try to lead by example every single day with how I work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-ingram/i-m-not-the-most-vocal-guy-but-i-try-to-lead-by-example-every-single/) [Brandon Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-ingram/) > [But actually theory is very practical. 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