It is one of the oldest maxims of moral prudence: Do not, by aspiring to what is impracticable, lose the opportunity of doing the good you can effect!
Sentiment: POSITIVE
When you rely on incentives, you undermine virtues. Then when you discover that you actually need people who want to do the right thing, those people don't exist because you've crushed anyone's desire to do the right thing with all these incentives.
Prudence is not hesitation, procrastination, or moderation. It is not driving in the middle of the road. It is not the way of ambivalence, indecision, or safety.
Prudence is foresight and far-sightedness. It's the ability to make immediate decisions on the basis of their longer-range effects.
There is nothing more imprudent than excessive prudence.
Prudence does not mean failing to accept responsibilities and postponing decisions; it means being committed to making joint decisions after pondering responsibly the road to be taken.
Prudence is but experience, which equal time, equally bestows on all men, in those things they equally apply themselves unto.
To be ambitious of true honor, of the true glory and perfection of our natures, is the very principle and incentive of virtue.
Circumstances dictate your set of values, your set of morals.
No worse fate can befall a young man or woman than becoming prematurely entrenched in prudence and negation.
Because impudence is a vice, it does not follow that modesty is a virtue; it is built upon shame, a passion in our nature, and may be either good or bad according to the actions performed from that motive.
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