No one can be good for long if goodness is not in demand. — Wendell Berry

No one can be good for long if goodness is not in demand.

Author: Wendell Berry

Insight: We often think of goodness as something that lives inside a person—a fixed moral core that stays strong no matter what. But Berry is pointing at something trickier: goodness actually needs witnesses. It needs to be valued. When the people around you reward shortcuts instead of integrity, when corners are cut and nobody seems to care, something in us starts to erode. We're not quite as thoughtful. We don't hold ourselves to the same standard. The absence of demand isn't an excuse—it's a real pressure. This shows up constantly in small ways. A workplace where no one notices sloppy work makes it harder to care about quality. A friend group that tolerates unkindness makes it easier to be unkind yourself. Even parenting works this way: kids develop conscience partly because someone they trust is actually paying attention and cares about their choices. Goodness isn't just an internal achievement; it's something we collectively have to keep asking for from each other. When we stop expecting the best from people, we inadvertently make it harder for them to be their best.