Q0238
“Blessedness is not the reward of virtue, but virtue itself.” — Baruch Spinoza (Ethics V, Prop. 42)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Ethics V, Prop. 42. Theme: virtue.
English
Blessedness is not the reward of virtue, but virtue itself.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Ethics V, Prop. 42 and files it under Rationalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Baruch Spinoza
Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza (1632–1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish descent who developed a rigorous geometric metaphysics of God-or-Nature. Excommunicated from Amsterdam’s Jewish community in 1656, he ground lenses and wrote in Latin with a small circle of freethinkers.
How to read this passage
Virtue ethics asks not only which acts are right, but what kind of person one becomes. Courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom are classic Western lists; Confucian ren and yi offer related but distinct vocabularies. This passage enters that discussion through virtue, morality.
Concepts in this quote
- Virtue
- Virtue names excellences of character—habits of perception and action oriented toward the good.
- Morality
- Morality in philosophy concerns right and wrong, obligation, and the standards by which we judge persons and acts.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Baruch Spinoza. (n.d.). Blessedness is not the reward of virtue, but virtue itself. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0238
MLA: Baruch Spinoza. “Blessedness is not the reward of virtue, but….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0238.
Chicago: Baruch Spinoza. “Blessedness is not the reward of virtue, but….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0238.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Blessedness is not the reward of virtue, but…”?
The passage is attributed to Baruch Spinoza, Ethics V, Prop. 42. The archive attributes this English wording to Ethics V, Prop. 42 and files it under Rationalism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Baruch Spinoza mean by virtue?
Virtue ethics asks not only which acts are right, but what kind of person one becomes. Courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom are classic Western lists; Confucian ren and yi offer related but distinct vocabularies. This passage enters that discussion through virtue, morality.