Recognizing virtue

in everyday life



It's time we take virtue off the lofty shelves of philosophy and moralism. Virtue is surprisingly tangible, real and gratifying.

Virtue is an approach to living—an art of living—that is unique to every person.

No single definition of virtue will do, so we look to the wise, the sacred and the saintly to deepen our understanding. If one of these speak most meaningfully to you, we hope you carry it always upon your heart.



What is virtue?
the power of true center
Marilyn Ferguson
right action
the Buddhist Eightfold Noble Path
doing good as you pass by
the Urantia Book
recognizing the bond that unites all things in the universe
Marcus Aurelius
loving the world as your own self
the Tao te Ching
tending to the needs of the soul
Socrates
unselfish loving service
Natha's Bhakti Sutras
matching your nature with Nature
Joseph Campbell
doing that which most stirs you to love
Teresa of Avila
pleasing God
Romans 8:8
loving God
St. Augustine
living as if in the presence of God
Brother Lawrence
knowing what to overlook
William James
being gracious and courteous to strangers
Sir Francis Bacon
being free from attachment to the pleasant and from aversion to the negative
Sogyal Rinpoche
making the best of what's given you
Laurence Rockefeller
hungering after the beautiful and the good
George Eliot
commiting your way to God
The Psalms
appreciating beauty, finding the best in others and leaving the world a bit better
Ralph Waldo Emerson
patiently accepting whatever comes
the Philokalia
singing in tune with the divine chorus
Plotinus
conforming with the cosmos
the Urantia Book
setting your heart right
Confucius
striving to be the best you can be
ancient Greek philosophy
creating without claiming,
doing without taking credit,
guiding without interfering
the Tao te Ching
never forgetting God even for a single moment
Abu Sa’id Ibn Abi’l-Khayr
opening the eyes of the soul to see, `This whole world is full of God!’
Angela of Foligno