Virtues are, in the popular estimate, rather the exception than the rule. There is the man and his virtues. Men do what is called a good action, as some piece of courage or charity, much as they would pay a fine in expiation of daily non-appearance on parade. Their works are done as an apology or extenuation of their living in the world, — as invalids and the insane pay a high board. Their virtues are penances. I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle.

Men imagine that they communicate their virtue or vice only by overt actions, and do not see that virtue or vice emit a breath every moment.

One will rarely err if extreme actions be ascribed to vanity, ordinary actions to habit, and mean actions to fear.

Although men flatter themselves with their great actions, they are not so often the result of a great design as of chance.

The power of a man's virtue should not be measured by his special efforts, but by his ordinary doing.

The virtue of a man ought to be measured not by his extraordinary exertions, but by his every-day conduct.

Men act badly sometimes without being much worse than others,

There is an element of the busybody in our conception of virtue: unless a man makes himself a nuisance to a great many people, we do not think he can be an exceptionally good man.

The moderation of great men only sets a limit to their vices. The moderation of weak men is mediocrity.

Men do less than they ought, unless they do all they can.

[...] for the Doctor observed, that no man takes upon himself small blemishes without supposing that great abilities are attributed to him; and that, in short, this affectation of candour or modesty was but another kind of indirect self-praise, and had its foundation in vanity.

There are but few important events in the affairs of men brought about by their own choice.

Deeds that seemed unimportant at the time would prove to have been momentous; a tiny act of selfishness and unkindness or, conversely, an unconsidered act of generosity would become the measure of a human life

... It is very natural, if we find a man grossly deficient in something about which we are able to judge, — and perhaps in the thing about which we able best to judge, — to conclude the he must be all bad. In the judgment of many, it is quite enough to condemn a man, to show the he is a low fellow, with an extremely vulgar accent. We forget how much good may go with these evil things; good more than enough to outweigh all these and more.