Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.
Category: virtue
Courage
It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.
Virtue: Public and private
Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics. There must be a positive passion for the public good, the public interest, honor, power and glory, established in the minds of the people, or there can be no republican government, nor any real liberty: and this public passion must be superior to all private passions.
Acquiescence or action
Most people prefer to believe that their leaders are just and fair, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, because once a citizen acknowledges that the government under which he lives is lying and corrupt, the citizen has to choose what he or she will do about it. To take action in the face of corrupt government entails risks of harm to life and loved ones. To choose to do nothing is to surrender one’s self-image of standing for principles. Most people do not have the courage to face that choice. Hence, most propaganda is not designed to fool the critical thinker but only to give moral cowards an excuse not to think at all.
Virtue and freedom
Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.
Honesty in office is paramount
We cannot afford to differ on the question of honesty if we expect our republic permanently to endure. Honesty is not so much a credit as an absolute prerequisite to efficient service to the public. Unless a man is honest, we have no right to keep him in public life; it matters not how brilliant his capacity.
Always stand on principle
Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone.
Measuring a man’s virtue
The strength of a man’s virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts.
Power tests character
Nearly all men can withstand adversity; if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
Integrity is not extremism
If an uncompromising stand is to be smeared as ‘extremism,’ then that smear is directed at any devotion to values, any loyalty to principles, any profound conviction, any consistency, any steadfastness, any passion, any dedication to an unbreached, inviolate truth — any man of integrity.