---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our disregard of civic and moral virtue…"
description: "\"Our disregard of civic and moral virtue as an educational priority is having a tangible effect on the attitudes, understanding and behavior of large po..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/william-damon-75843_attitude_our-disregard-of-civic-and-moral-virtue_1014626.jpg"
---

#  Our disregard of civic and moral virtue as an educational…

![“Our disregard of civic and moral virtue as an educational priority is having a tangible effect on the attitudes, understanding and behavior of large portions of the youth population in the United States today.” quote by William Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/william-damon-75843_attitude_our-disregard-of-civic-and-moral-virtue_1014626.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/william-damon-75843_attitude_our-disregard-of-civic-and-moral-virtue_1014626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/william-damon-75843_attitude_our-disregard-of-civic-and-moral-virtue_1014626.jpg)

> “Our disregard of civic and moral virtue as an educational priority is having a tangible effect on the attitudes, understanding and behavior of large portions of the youth population in the United States today.”

[William Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-damon/)

## About This Quote

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

Neglecting civic and moral education erodes youth attitudes and behavior in the U.S.

**In simple terms:** Ignoring moral education harms youth behavior.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize moral education in schools.

Themes

education morality youth development civic engagement

Mood

concerned hopeful urgent

Type

analytical call to action

When to use this quote

- school curricula
- parental guidance
- community programs
- policy making

Key Concepts

character formation social responsibility civic virtue

Questions to Reflect On

- How can schools effectively integrate moral lessons?
- What role should families play in civic education?

A Different Perspective

Changing attitudes also requires broader cultural shifts, not just schooling.

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> [Moral virtues and intellectual virtues are very different from each other, and moral virtue has to do with motivation, not cognition. Moral virtue requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/moral-virtues-and-intellectual-virtues-are-very-different-from-each/)

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> [That education should be regulated by law and should be an affair of state is not to be denied, but what should be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/that-education-should-be-regulated-by-law-and-should-be-an-affair-of/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Reason is not the sole basis of moral virtue in man. His social impulses are more deeply rooted than his rational life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/reason-is-not-the-sole-basis-of-moral-virtue-in-man-his-social/)

[Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/)

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> [The only moral virtue of war is that it compels the capitalist system to look itself in the face and admit it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-only-moral-virtue-of-war-is-that-it-compels-the-capitalist-system/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [There is a moral virtue, a moral fidelity, ability and honesty, which other men, besides church members, are, by good nature and education, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/there-is-a-moral-virtue-a-moral-fidelity-ability-and-honesty-which/)

[Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/)

> [If then, as we say, good craftsmen look to the mean as they work, and if virtue, like nature, is more accurate and better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/if-then-as-we-say-good-craftsmen-look-to-the-mean-as-they-work-and-if/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Moral virtue is a mean . . . between two vices, one of excess and the other of defect; . . . it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/moral-virtue-is-a-mean-between-two-vices-one-of-excess-and-the-other/)

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> [We have a very foolish notion in Western countries that progress delivers freedom. But progress doesn't necessarily bring moral virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/we-have-a-very-foolish-notion-in-western-countries-that-progress/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [ \[the virtues\] cannot exist without Prudence. A proof of this is that everyone, even at the present day, in defining Virtue, after saying what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-virtues-cannot-exist-without-prudence-a-proof-of-this-is-that/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

## More by William Damon

> [Raising self-centered kids is not good for society, but it's also not good for their own mental health to be completely self-absorbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-damon/raising-self-centered-kids-is-not-good-for-society-but-it-s-also-not/)

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[Explore all 3 William Damon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-damon/)

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> [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/)

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> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

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> [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/)

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> [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/)

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> [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/)

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