--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: most of us have to be self-righteous…" description: "\"most of us have to be self-righteous before we can be righteous.\" — Vera Brittain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/vera-brittain-12183_justice_most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-bef_808187.png" --- # most of us have to be self-righteous before we can be… ![“most of us have to be self-righteous before we can be righteous.” quote by Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/vera-brittain-12183_justice_most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-bef_808187.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/vera-brittain-12183_justice_most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-bef_808187.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/vera-brittain-12183_justice_most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-bef_808187.png) > “most of us have to be self-righteous before we can be righteous.” [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often adopt a self‑righteous stance as a defensive posture before they can truly act with moral integrity. **In simple terms:** Self‑righteousness can be a stepping stone to genuine righteousness. Key Takeaway Recognize and move beyond defensive moralizing. Themes morality self‑awareness growth Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - leadership - conflict resolution - community building Key Concepts ethical development psychology social behavior Questions to Reflect On - What defenses do you use when faced with moral challenges? - How can humility replace self‑righteousness? A Different Perspective Self‑righteousness may mask underlying insecurities, hindering authentic virtue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Righteous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteous/) [Righteousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteousness/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self righteous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-righteous/) ## Related quotes > [We do not become righteous by doing righteous deed but, having been made righteous, we do righteous deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/we-do-not-become-righteous-by-doing-righteous-deed-but-having-been/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I shall pray God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/i-shall-pray-god-to-send-charity-into-this-hideous-world-and-sympathy/) [John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/) > [We are never more self-righteous than when giving up what we should have shunned all along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/we-are-never-more-self-righteous-than-when-giving-up-what-we-should/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [We are all naturally self-righteous. It is the family disease of all the children of Adam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/we-are-all-naturally-self-righteous-it-is-the-family-disease-of-all/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [The world, and the great and free United States in particular, is full of narrow-minded, ignorant, moronic, bigoted, cowardly, self-righteous, anemic, pig-headed, stupid, puritanical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-world-and-the-great-and-free-united-states-in-particular-is-full/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [Calamity, war, famine, plague, death, adversity, disease, injury do not necessarily produce repentance. We may become better in a calamity but it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/calamity-war-famine-plague-death-adversity-disease-injury-do-not/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [RIGHTEOUS. RIGHTEOUS. -Crush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finding-nemo/righteous-righteous-crush/) Finding Nemo > [People should not worry as much about what they do but rather about what they are. If they and their ways are good, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/people-should-not-worry-as-much-about-what-they-do-but-rather-about-2/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [“For even if the greatest sinner worships me with all his soul, he must be considered righteous, because of his righteous will. And he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-even-if-the-greatest-sinner-worships-me-with-all-his-soul-he-must/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Those who know their unworthiness seize grace as a hungry man seizes bread: the self-righteous resent grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/those-who-know-their-unworthiness-seize-grace-as-a-hungry-man-seizes/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [The challenge is whether China as a rising country, the United States as the superpower, can develop a cooperative relationship in this period before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/the-challenge-is-whether-china-as-a-rising-country-the-united-states/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [Bob Geldof is a nauseating character. Band Aid was the most self-righteous platform ever in the history of popular music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/bob-geldof-is-a-nauseating-character-band-aid-was-the-most-self/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [The sooner we can separate salvageable skeptics from self-righteous absolutists, the sooner we can move along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/the-sooner-we-can-separate-salvageable-skeptics-from-self-righteous/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [Self-righteous victims invite extra nails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-righteous-victims-invite-extra-nails/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I do believe that America's deepest political sickness is that it is a self-righteous nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-do-believe-that-america-s-deepest-political-sickness-is-that-it-is/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) ## More by Vera Brittain > [“At this time of the year it seems that everything ought to be creative, not destructive, and that we should encourage things to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/at-this-time-of-the-year-it-seems-that-everything-ought-to-be/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“Mother says that people like me just become intellectual old maids,' I told him. 'I don't see why,' he protested. 'Oh, well, it's probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/mother-says-that-people-like-me-just-become-intellectual-old-maids-i/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“It is quite impossible to understand,’ I commented afterwards, ‘how we can be such strong individualists, so insistent on the rights and claims of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/it-is-quite-impossible-to-understand-i-commented-afterwards-how-we/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Babies are a nuisance, of course. But so does everything seem to be that is worth while – husbands and books and committees and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/babies-are-a-nuisance-of-course-but-so-does-everything-seem-to-be/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [All that a pacifist can undertake -- but it is a very great deal -- is to refuse to kill, injure or otherwise cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/all-that-a-pacifist-can-undertake-but-it-is-a-very-great-deal-is-to/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [An author who waits for the right 'mood' will soon find that 'moods' get fewer and fewer until they cease altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/an-author-who-waits-for-the-right-mood-will-soon-find-that-moods-get/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [ “\[I\] wondered if he was looking up at that same moon, far away, and thinking of me as I was thinking of him.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/i-wondered-if-he-was-looking-up-at-that-same-moon-far-away-and/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Why, I wonder, do people who at one time or another have all been young themselves, and who ought therefore to know better, generalize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/why-i-wonder-do-people-who-at-one-time-or-another-have-all-been-young/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Venice is all sea and sculpture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/venice-is-all-sea-and-sculpture/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [We should never be at the mercy of Providence if only we understood that we ourselves are Providence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/we-should-never-be-at-the-mercy-of-providence-if-only-we-understood/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [I wish those people who write so glibly about this being a holy war and the orators who talk so much about going on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/i-wish-those-people-who-write-so-glibly-about-this-being-a-holy-war/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [College is a secluded life of scholastic vegetation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/college-is-a-secluded-life-of-scholastic-vegetation/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Meek wifehood is no part of my profession; / I am your friend, but never your possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/meek-wifehood-is-no-part-of-my-profession-i-am-your-friend-but-never/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“Could I write an autobiographical novel, I wonder? Can one make a book out of the very essence of one's self? Perhaps so, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/could-i-write-an-autobiographical-novel-i-wonder-can-one-make-a-book/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [few things are more rewarding than a child's open uncalculating devotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/few-things-are-more-rewarding-than-a-child-s-open-uncalculating/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) [Explore all 56 Vera Brittain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) ## More Justice quotes > [Never fight on the wrong side; you might win but the burden of guilt is more than a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilian-salan/never-fight-on-the-wrong-side-you-might-win-but-the-burden-of-guilt/) [Lilian Salan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilian-salan/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [In the battle for police reform, accountability and justice, Americans don't have to re-invent the wheel. We just have to revoke the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/in-the-battle-for-police-reform-accountability-and-justice-americans/) [Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/) > [“Why do so many people do nothing? I think it’s because most of us look at the evils and injustice around us, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/why-do-so-many-people-do-nothing-i-think-it-s-because-most-of-us-look/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Civilized nations are ones that simply can't endure wrongs or injustice except at home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-anderson/civilized-nations-are-ones-that-simply-can-t-endure-wrongs-or/) Joseph Anderson > [Time often serves to justify a deed which seems at first unjustifiable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-p-ryan/time-often-serves-to-justify-a-deed-which-seems-at-first-unjustifiable/) Donald P. Ryan > [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [At minimum, we must recognize that there are legitimate, unanswered questions about whether the Obama Justice Department involved themselves in a political project targeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/at-minimum-we-must-recognize-that-there-are-legitimate-unanswered/) [Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [There is no freedom without justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/there-is-no-freedom-without-justice/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [“The absence of judgment becomes a catalyst and an enabler for greater injustice. Contrary to popular thought, judgment is a GOOD thing when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-chace-gordon/the-absence-of-judgment-becomes-a-catalyst-and-an-enabler-for-greater/) [J. Chace Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-chace-gordon/) > [The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/the-function-of-the-law-is-not-to-provide-justice-or-to-preserve/) [Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/) [Browse all 13,527 Justice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "most of us have to be self-righteous before we can be righteous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vera Brittain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-before-we-can-be-righteous/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Justice" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-before-we-can-be-righteous/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/vera-brittain-12183_justice_most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-bef_808187.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/vera-brittain-12183_justice_most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-bef_808187.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/vera-brittain-12183_justice_most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-bef_808187.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“most of us have to be self-righteous before we can be righteous.” — Vera Brittain", "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": "Vera Brittain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "most of us have to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-before-we-can-be-righteous/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-before-we-can-be-righteous/#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 } } ] } ```