Vice knows she's ugly, so puts on her mask

Vice knows she's ugly, so puts on her mask

What maintains one vice would bring up two children.

What maintains one vice would bring up two children.

Virtue, I grant you, is an empty boast;
But shall the dignity of vice be lost?

Virtue, I grant you, is an empty boast;
But shall the dignity of vice be lost?

This is the essential evil of vice, that it debases man.

This is the essential evil of vice, that it debases man.

If individuals have no vices, their virtues may be of use to us.

If individuals have no vices, their virtues may be of use to us.

The worst vice of a fanatic is his sincerity.

The worst vice of a fanatic is his sincerity.

We are double-edged blades, and every time we whet our virtue the return stroke straps our vice.

We are double-edged blades, and every time we whet our virtue the return stroke straps our vice.

Wild oats make a bad autumn crop.

Wild oats make a bad autumn crop.

And last the Vice and Follies of the Age.

And last the Vice and Follies of the Age.