There is hope for our country, or for any country, when its young men have something of John's spirit; when they school the body until it becomes the ready instrument of a high and spiritual intention, fearless of hardship; when by sympathy with God's purposes they apprehend what is most needed by men, and are able to detect the weaknesses and vices of society, and to bear the burden of their time.
"The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St. John, Vol. I"
Marcus Dods
St. Augustine wrote, that we can rise higher on the ladder of life, by trampling down our vices.
"A Key to Lord Tennyson's 'In Memoriam'"
Alfred Gatty
First, the individual must renounce his vices, which are acts of independence.
"Life and Writings of Maurice Maeterlinck"
Jethro Bithell