Mrs. Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her cleanliness more uncomfortable and unacceptable than the dirt itself. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and some people do the same by religion.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Some people use cleanliness or religion in ways that make others uncomfortable rather than better.
- In plain terms
- Too much cleanliness or religion can be as bad as the thing they replace.
- What can you take from it?
- Virtues practiced excessively can become burdens.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does virtue become vice?
- How do habits affect others?
Another view
It generalizes that strict standards always alienate people.
More from Charles Dickens
It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.
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