Sense shines with a double luster when it is set in humility. An able yet humble man is a jewel worth a kingdom.
William PennRead
To be innocent is to be not guilty; but to be virtuous is to overcome our evil inclinations.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Innocence signifies a lack of guilt, while virtue involves actively choosing goodness over temptation.
William Penn's quote distinguishes between being innocent, which means not having committed a wrong, and being virtuous, which requires a conscious effort to resist negative impulses. Innocence suggests a passive state, while virtue reflects an active commitment to moral excellence and the cultivation of good character despite inherent human flaws.
Themes
InnocenceVirtueMoralityTemptationCharacter
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about ethics, you might quote this to emphasize the importance of choosing virtue.
More from William Penn
All quotes βWhere thou art Obliged to speak, be sure speak the Truth: For Equivocation is half way to Lying, as Lying, the whole way to Hell.
William PennRead
Man, being made reasonable, and so a thinking creature, there is nothing more worthy of his being than the right direction and employment of his thoughts; since upon this depends both his usefulness to the public, and his own present and future benefit in all respects.
William PennRead
Do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good.
William PennRead
To be a man's own fool is bad enough, but the vain man is everybody's.
William PennRead
Unless virtue guide us our choice must be wrong.
William PennRead
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