"The boy can best become a good man by being a good boy—not a goody-goody boy, but just a plain good boy. I do not mean that he must love only the negative virtues; I mean he must love the positive virtues also. "Good," in the largest sense, should include whatever is fine, straightforward, clean, brave, and manly. The best boys I know—the best men I know—are good at their studies or their business, fearless and stalwart, hated and feared by all that is wicked and depraved, incapable of submitting to wrong-doing, and equally incapable of being aught but tender to the weak and helpless. A healthy-minded boy should feel hearty contempt for the coward, and even more hearty indignation for the boy who bullies girls or small boys, or tortures animals. One prime reason for abhorring cowards is because every good boy should have it in him to thrash the objectionable boy as the need arises."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Strenuous_Life%3A_Essays_and_Addresses
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses
177 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses →
Related Quotes
"If we stand idly by, if we seek merely swollen, slothful ease and ignoble peace, if we shrink from the hard contests …"
"When a partizan political organization becomes merely an association for purposes of plunder and patronage, it may be…"
"We must see that there is civic honesty, civic cleanliness, civic good sense in our home administration of city, Stat…"
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with…"
"We cannot, if we would, play the part of China, and be content to rot by inches in ignoble ease within our borders, t…"
"We cannot avoid meeting great issues. All that we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet them well or ill."
"We have a given problem to solve. If we undertake the solution, there is, of course, always danger that we may not so…"
"No country can long endure if its foundations are not laid deep in the material prosperity which comes from thrift, f…"
"Let us, as we value our own self-respect, face the responsibilities with proper seriousness, courage, and high resolv…"
"Cowardice does not promote peace."