As a businessman and a father, I contend that the most important step on the road to success is the act of becoming virtuous. You may well respond, “What, then, is virtue?”
This question has been asked for more than 3,000 years by philosophers from Socrates to Aquinas. Men such as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and Virgil dedicated much of their lives to understanding virtue. They esteemed it to be a quality of the soul: not a condition one is born with but rather the result of years of self-discipline.
In classical thought, virtues were defined as good habits that aim toward a higher end in life. Once these patterns of action are established, they’re very difficult to change. The person who consistently chooses to act justly becomes just. One who persistently chooses moderation in food and drink becomes moderate. The choice between right and wrong actions today has far-reaching implications: We become what we do.
The path of virtue (or vice) can change our souls and our final destiny, because virtue is the highest principle of human action. It directly impacts our rational, physical, and spiritual development. If you possess virtue within yourself, then you hold an inestimable treasure: a finely shaped human spirit in the context of your character.
Is the pursuit of virtue the same as self-help? I would argue that the modern self-help industry has vastly watered down the crucial message of moral excellence. Author Stephen Covey, in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” found that most business books from recent decades focus on external attributes, such as polished techniques and image consciousness. Yet Covey found that comparable literature from a century prior emphasizes internal qualities: ethics, integrity, humility, temperance, patience, and the golden rule.
The brightest minds of previous generations believed that virtue makes you successful, both financially and in your personal well-being. It’s your long attention to virtue, more than any external quick-fix, that will determine how effective a person you become in life.
Think of it this way: A dining room chair ought to be well-assembled and sturdy, from a beautiful and durable hardwood. And don’t forget a comfortable backrest! All these qualities work together to serve one purpose: to hold up the person who sits on the chair. In other words, what defines a good chair is simply the state of doing what it’s supposed to do.
In the same way, a virtuous human being is one who does what she or he was made to do. This person’s essential qualities—their virtues—allow them to experience the good life and function at their highest potential. Virtue makes them effective in the family, the workplace, and the civic arena. Their soul is healthy and fulfilled because they’re living as the person they were made to be.
There are many virtues we could name, from honesty and courtesy to diligence and gratitude. Classical thinkers identified four cardinal, or key, virtues: moderation, justice, fortitude, and prudence. From the faith community, thinkers such as Augustine and Aquinas identified three other theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. They believed that these seven virtues are of the utmost importance to the human soul. They also held it to be impossible to be virtuous in one area and lacking in another: to have one virtue means that you must have all of them.
Is virtue, then, impossible on earth? Strictly speaking, the answer is yes. Virtues, however, aren’t like light switches that we merely turn on or off. We can possess the virtues to greater or lesser extents. Although we'll never reach perfection on earth, we’re called as human beings to pursue perfection. As we run the race toward moral excellence, we can approximate the high standard that has been set for us.
