Hillsdale College

Prudence

Know how to act in pursuit of the good.

StoriesPoemsLives of Virtue

Prudence, or “practical wisdom,” is the cardinal virtue that consists in right reasoning and correct knowledge about what is to be done. The habit of prudence belongs to reason itself, rather than to the will or to any of the passions. It is what enables us to determine accurately what is the morally good thing to do under particular circumstances. Prudence, therefore, governs all other moral virtues and directs them to the ways that can best attain their own ends.

Prudence is our ability to know the difference between right and wrong and then to act on that knowledge by doing the right thing because it is good. This virtue helps us use all of the other virtues we gain through practice and making the right choices.

Related Virtues

Deliberation

Good Judgment

Featured Stories

Honest AbeKunhardt, Edith
Grade K-2

Story

The Wolf and the Seven Little KidsFrom The Bremen Town Musicians and Other Animal Tales from GrimmJacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Grade K-3

Story

The Tale of Jemima Puddle-DuckBeatrix Potter
Grade 1-2

Story

The Tale of Two Bad MiceBeatrix Potter
Grade 1-2

Story

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
Grade 2-5

Story

Mr. Popper's PenguinsRichard and Florence Atwater
Grade 3-5

Story

More Stories

Featured Biographies

Who Was George Washington?Roberta Edwards
Grade 2-4

Biography

Poems about Prudence

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If
By Rudyard Kipling
Read More of If

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree...

The Lake Isle of Innisfree
By William Butler Yeats
Read More of The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I took the one less traveled by

The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost
Read More of The Road Not Taken

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

The Summer Day
By Mary Oliver
Read More of The Summer Day

Lives of Virtue

Abraham Lincoln
Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln exemplified virtue through his steadfast commitment to justice and the preservation of the Union, guiding the nation with moral clarity and courage during its darkest hours.
George Washington
George WashingtonThanks to his integrity, humility, courage, and wisdom, George Washington has long been known as one of the greatest leaders in American history.