"Virtue is like a rich stone, best plain set." - Francis Bacon, Essays

"Whenever there are great virtues, it's a sure sign something's wrong." - Bertolt Brecht, Mother Courage

"Whilst shame keeps its watch, virtue is not wholly extinguished in the heart." - Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France

"Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good." - Cervantes

"Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature and moderation and reason." - Cicero

"The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort." - Confucius

"To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness." - Confucius

"Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbours." - Confucius

"Virtuous people often revenge themselves for the constraints to which they submit by the boredom which they inspire." - Gustave Le Bon

"When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." - Thomas Paine

"The love of economy is the root of all virtue." - George Bernard Shaw

"Virtue does not come from wealth, but. . . wealth, and every other good thing which men have. . . comes from virtue." - Socrates

"To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue.... [They are] gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness." - Kung Fu-tse [Confucius] (551-479 B.C.) The Five Virtues

"One can never speak enough of the virtues, the dangers, the power of shared laughter." - Sagan, Francoise