No people do as much harm as those who go about doing good.
At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a reason, it gives them a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue.
The Devil ... is much better served by exploiting our virtues than by appealing to our lower passions; consequently, it is when the Devil looks most noble and reasonable that he is most dangerous.
Hypocrisy is the necessary burden of villainy.
No vice exists which does not pretend to be more or less like some virtue, and which does not take advantage of this assumed resemblance.
O heresy in fair, fit for these days, A giving hand, though foul, shall have fair praise.
Pride only helps us to be generous; it never makes us so, any more than vanity makes us witty.
The governors of the world believe, and have always believed, that virtue can only be taught by teaching falsehood, and that any man who knew the truth would be wicked.
3rd Earl Russell of Kingston
The coward reckons himself cautious, the miser frugal.
There are temptations more attractive than angels. Liberty, Patriotism, the good of humanity – words like that are the silver scales of the Tempter’s flaming wings
Power tends to confuse itself with virtue, and a great nation is particularly susceptible to the idea that its power is a sign of God's favor.
Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.
It's the person who would sell his soul for a nickel, who is loudest in proclaiming his hatred of money.
Men who ape the saint and play the sinner.
Sinners think they are saints, but saints know they are sinners.
The world is ashamed of being virtuous.
A bad man is worse when he pretends to be a saint.
He preacheth patience that never knew pain.
Being judgmental about your own behavior is actually another cop-out because it makes you feel as though you're doing something virtuous.
There are certain defects which, well-mounted, glitter like virtue itself.
Power always thinks... that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws.
What we take for virtue is often nothing but an assemblage of different actions, and of different interests, that fortune or our industry knows how to arrange.
Demagoguery from the pulpit is no different from demagoguery on the campaign trail. If anything, it is worse, because it clothes itself in self-righteousness.
Who knows his virtues name or place, hath none.
General good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocite, flatterer.
