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Poetry · Chapter
CLXXVIII explained
A brief, aphoristic chapter suggesting that non-automatic virtue demands more attention than it is worth, implying a critique of forced or unnatural moral effort.
What happens
A brief, aphoristic chapter suggesting that non-automatic virtue demands more attention than it is worth, implying a critique of forced or unnatural moral effort.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Self-Deception
The aphorism implies that virtue requiring conscious effort may be a form of self-deception or inauthenticity.
Key passages
“The virtue that is not automatic requires more attention than it is worth.”
If virtue does not come naturally, the effort needed to maintain it is excessive and not worthwhile.
The chapter's sole statement, presented as a maxim about the value of effortless morality.