# CLXXVIII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/clxxviii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters