Not to know vice at all, and keep true state, Is virtue, and not fate: Next to that virtue is to know vice well, And her black spite expel.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- True virtue is avoiding vice entirely, but knowing it well is the next best defense.
- In plain terms
- Best virtue is not knowing vice; next best is knowing it to fight it.
- What can you take from it?
- Knowledge of vice helps you resist it.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is ignorance of evil better than knowing it?
- How do you protect your integrity?
Another view
It assumes understanding vice does not lead to practicing it.
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