Quote by Samuel Butler

A virtue to be serviceable must, like gold, be alloyed with some commoner, but more durable alloy.

A virtue to be serviceable must, like gold, be alloyed with

Summary

To be truly valuable, a virtue must be balanced with practicality and practical application. Just as gold, although precious, is too soft to be used alone and must be blended with a more durable metal, a virtue needs to be mixed with qualities that enable it to exist and function effectively in the real world. This quote suggests that virtues are more powerful when combined with realistic elements, allowing them to withstand the challenges of everyday life and make a meaningful impact.

Topics

By Samuel Butler

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

The sea's only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the c

The sea's only gifts are harsh blows, and occasionally the chance to feel strong. Now I don't know much about the sea, but I do know that that's the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once. To find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind death stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head.

After thirty, a body has a mind of its own.

After thirty, a body has a mind of its own.

Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining profit withou

Corporation: An ingenious device for obtaining profit without individual responsibility.

My life has been a gift up to this point, and I've been bles

My life has been a gift up to this point, and I've been blessed beyond my wildest imagination. And wherever this ride takes me is where I'm going.

Never explain, never retract, never apologize. Just get the

Never explain, never retract, never apologize. Just get the thing done and let them howl.

Nellie L. McClung

Inspirational Activism

Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-

Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade

Benjamin Franklin

Risk! Risk Anything! Care no more for the opinion of others,

Risk! Risk Anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those other voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.

Katherine Mansfield

San Francisco is a mad city - inhabited for the most part by

San Francisco is a mad city - inhabited for the most part by perfectly insane people whose women are of a remarkable beauty.

Rudyard Kipling

Logic is the technique by which we add conviction to truth.

Logic is the technique by which we add conviction to truth.

Jean de la Bruyere

The people of Liberia know what it means to be deprived of c

The people of Liberia know what it means to be deprived of clean water, but we also know what it means to see our children to begin to smile again with a restoration of hope and faith in the future.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

The savage bows down to idols of wood and stone the civilize

The savage bows down to idols of wood and stone the civilized man to idols of flesh and blood.

George Bernard Shaw

For my part, I consider that it will be found much better by

For my part, I consider that it will be found much better by all parties to leave the past to history, especially as I propose to write that history myself.

Winston Churchill