"My parents and grandparents have always been engaged in teaching or the medical profession or the priesthood, so I've sort of grown up with a sense of complicity in the lives of other people, so there's no virtue in that; it's the way one is raised"
About this Quote
The key move is the refusal of credit: “there’s no virtue in that.” In celebrity culture, empathy is often marketed as a brand accessory, a sign of depth that proves you’re not like the other famous people. Firth cuts that off. He’s wary of moral self-congratulation, suggesting that what looks like character may just be good training, good modeling, good expectations. It’s a subtle rebuke to the idea that decency is purely individual achievement.
There’s also an actor’s subtext here: performance versus inheritance. Acting is literally the craft of living inside other people, and he’s implying that this instinct isn’t mystical talent so much as early socialization into professions that require emotional labor. The line “it’s the way one is raised” lands like a demystification of both virtue and artistry, a reminder that our moral reflexes are often less heroic than habitual.
Quote Details
| Topic | Family |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Firth, Colin. (2026, January 17). My parents and grandparents have always been engaged in teaching or the medical profession or the priesthood, so I've sort of grown up with a sense of complicity in the lives of other people, so there's no virtue in that; it's the way one is raised. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-parents-and-grandparents-have-always-been-48144/
Chicago Style
Firth, Colin. "My parents and grandparents have always been engaged in teaching or the medical profession or the priesthood, so I've sort of grown up with a sense of complicity in the lives of other people, so there's no virtue in that; it's the way one is raised." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-parents-and-grandparents-have-always-been-48144/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"My parents and grandparents have always been engaged in teaching or the medical profession or the priesthood, so I've sort of grown up with a sense of complicity in the lives of other people, so there's no virtue in that; it's the way one is raised." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-parents-and-grandparents-have-always-been-48144/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
