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the essential thing is to fulfil our simple duties and exercise elementary justice.
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“the essential thing is to fulfil our simple duties and exercise elementary justice.”

Charles Wagner

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Source
The Simple Life
Date
1901
English wording
Mary Louise Hendee — Translator · from French
Meaning

Meaning of “the essential thing is to fulfil our simple…”

Large moral ambitions are brought back to ordinary obligations: doing the nearby duty and treating people justly matters more than impressive declarations of principle.

Source context

Where does it come from?

The Simple Life, Chapter V, “Simple Duty,” Mary Louise Hendee translation, Project Gutenberg #23092; Wagner contrasts ordinary duty with inflated moral ambition.

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Helping OthersIntegrityLifeLife AdviceResponsibilityServiceShortSimplicityConscienceEthicsJustice
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The most influential of all the virtues are those which are the most in request for daily use.
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“The most influential of all the virtues are those which are the most in request for daily use.”

Samuel Smiles · Character · 1871
Meaning & context

Virtues become socially important when they guide routine dealings with other people rather than appearing only in exceptional or ceremonial situations.

Source details

Character, Chapter I, “Influence of Character,” Project Gutenberg #2541. In the chapter’s discussion of duty in ordinary life, Smiles argues that the virtues most needed in everyday conduct exert the widest and most lasting influence.

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Ought a man to do what he admits to be right, or ought he to betray the right?
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“Ought a man to do what he admits to be right, or ought he to betray the right?”

Plato · Crito · 4th century BCE
Voice: Dialogue speaker · Socrates
Meaning & context

Socrates asks whether acting on one’s considered judgment about right and wrong should be set aside when the costs are severe. In the prison conversation, the question tests whether escaping a wrongful sentence can be justified under the principles he and Crito have accepted.

Source details

Crito, Socrates questioning Crito during the prison discussion after establishing a rule against retaliation; Benjamin Jowett English translation, Project Gutenberg #1657. The sentence begins after Socrates says he will put the next point as a question. The question is not an unqualified defense of obedience to every law; the dialogue stages an argument about obligations to the city.

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Go home and lead a simple life.
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“Go home and lead a simple life.”

Booker T. Washington · Character Building · 1902
Meaning & context

A simpler life can redirect attention toward useful work, family obligations, and sustainable choices instead of maintaining appearances that create pressure.

Source details

Character Building, “Last Words,” Project Gutenberg #60484. In the closing address, Washington warns departing students not to feel superior to their families after schooling and then tells them to go home, live simply, help their parents and practise politeness.

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the plain duty is the near duty.
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“the plain duty is the near duty.”

Charles Wagner · The Simple Life · 1901
Meaning & context

When responsibilities compete, Wagner recommends beginning with the obligation that is actually present and actionable instead of escaping into distant abstractions.

Source details

The Simple Life, Chapter V, “Simple Duty,” Mary Louise Hendee translation, Project Gutenberg #23092; the phrase condenses his argument about nearby obligations.

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