They that endeavour to abolish vice destroy also virtue, for contraries, though they destroy one another, are yet the life of one another.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Attempting to eliminate vice completely may also destroy virtue because they define each other. Contraries depend on each other for existence even if they conflict.
- In plain terms
- If you try to get rid of bad things completely, you might lose good things too because they need each other to exist.
- What can you take from it?
- Vice and virtue are intertwined; eliminating one may harm the other.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can virtue exist without the concept of vice?
- Is absolute morality possible?
Another view
It may justify tolerating harmful behaviors under the guise of balance.
More from Sir Thomas Browne
I intend no Monopoly, but a Community in Learning; I study not for my own sake only, but for theirs that study not for themselves.
Permalink to quote #19 No man can justly censure or condemn another, because indeed no man truly knows another.
Permalink to quote #21 There is no road or ready way to virtue.
Permalink to quote #18
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