Philosophy Quotes

Questions about meaning, existence, and truth from thinkers who spent their lives searching for answers.

43879 quotes

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"The virtues are not duties imposed upon us but excellences we can develop and enjoy."
Foot, Philippa
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"Character is revealed not in isolated choices but in consistent patterns of thought and action."
Foot, Philippa
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"The unity of the virtues means that genuine virtue is rare and difficult to achieve."
Foot, Philippa
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"We are deceived if we think moral philosophy can proceed without attention to how people actually live."
Foot, Philippa
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"Moral relativism fails to account for the genuine objectivity of human good."
Foot, Philippa
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"The natural inclinations of human beings point toward the virtues that perfect our nature."
Foot, Philippa
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"Moral knowledge is inseparable from moral character; you cannot know virtue without becoming virtuous."
Foot, Philippa
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"The virtues form an interconnected system that cannot be reduced to discrete principles."
Foot, Philippa
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"Understanding human good requires understanding the diverse ways that humans can flourish."
Foot, Philippa
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"Moral life is about the cultivation of character through practice and habituation."
Foot, Philippa
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"The foundations of morality are to be found in the nature of human flourishing."
Foot, Philippa
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"The virtuous person acts from a stable disposition of character, not from external constraint."
Foot, Philippa
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"Moral realism is more plausible than the alternatives when we attend carefully to moral language and practice."
Foot, Philippa
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"Human beings naturally seek happiness, and morality is the path to true happiness."
Foot, Philippa
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"The integration of reason and emotion in moral life is essential to virtue."
Foot, Philippa
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"We must reject the false choice between relativism and rigid moral dogmatism."
Foot, Philippa
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"Moral agency requires both understanding and the capacity to act on that understanding."
Foot, Philippa
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"The good society is one that supports the development of virtue in its members."
Foot, Philippa
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"Virtue ethics restores the connection between morality and human flourishing that other theories sever."
Foot, Philippa
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"Moral progress is possible because moral truth is discoverable through reflection on human nature."
Foot, Philippa
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"The virtues are excellences that any human being can aspire to develop."
Foot, Philippa
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"Morality is not imposed upon human nature but emerges from human nature properly understood."
Foot, Philippa
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"A complete account of morality must include virtue, character, and human flourishing."
Foot, Philippa
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"The virtues are stable dispositions to act and feel in ways that constitute human excellence."
Foot, Philippa
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"Understanding morality requires understanding what it means for human life to go well."
Foot, Philippa
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"The natural law is not a system of constraint but a guide to human flourishing."
Foot, Philippa
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"Moral truth is accessible to human reason when that reason is properly directed."
Foot, Philippa
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"Virtue is not something added to human nature from outside but the perfection of human nature."
Foot, Philippa
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"The relationship between virtue and happiness is not contingent but essential."
Foot, Philippa
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"Moral agents are beings who can recognize and pursue the human good."
Foot, Philippa