“For it seemeth the very name of virtue presuposeth difficulty and infereth resistance and cannot well exercise itself without an enemy” (Essays of Michael De Montaign)
Virtue comes from a a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards .Discipline, prudence, temperance are just one of the few virtues listed by the Romans Virtue requires strength because it tests your personal character, inner strength and integrity. Goodness, on the other hand is rather a feeling of abundance that as I said before, comes intermittently and sporadically
But goodness is a feeling of abundance, of pleasure. Its that moment of benevolence where you feel a connection with humanity. It sporadically depending on the mood of the person and only temporarily manifested at times;, we may “feel” this really kind ,benign, benevolent feeling..where we “finally” seem to feel a connection with humanity. But this often happens depending on our day, depending on our mood. If we have a bad day, we might be grouchy and scowl at the same person who we were kind to yesterday. Doesn’t that happen quite often when you get back home?
But virtue is a ‘goodness’ that is consciously or steadily maintained, often in spite of evil temptations or influences. It is both a character and a constant conduct which require esteem while goodness is the world general quality recognized in a character. Because virtue is a constant endeavor, it might require struggle, for when challenging times come , one has to hold on the virtue and remind like Jane Eyre in the book by Charlotte Bronte told herself , “principles are required when we most need them”. This is why although, both goodness and virtue entitle approval and esteem but virtue perhaps goes a step further and entitles admiration.
For example, in this book by Jane Austen, Fanny Price, this character in Mansfield Park has arguably the virtue of persistence, when all the young characters in the book gave up their love for another person when in the midst of difficulty, Fanny stayed true and firm till the end.
So, here’s a little rhyme I made to sum up the two :
Virtue may require struggle, sacrifice, pain, which others admire but not often attain.
While goodness is a feeling of abundance
Which, like a beam of sunshine on a cloudy day, although is warm and pleasant, but quick to fade away