Virtue Is Not Photogenic

Virtue Is Not Photogenic

Kirk Douglas Quote

Virtue is not photogenic; Kirk Douglas quote on the nice guys don't win sentiment where despite the smile if you're not a looker through the lens then forget it

They say the camera never lies and while this may be true for aesthetics it is certainly not capable of capturing your personality profile.

Beauty on the outside does not always equate to beauty on the inside, a pretty or photogenic face does not mean that your heart or your mind matches your good external appearance.

The full Kirk Douglas quote gives a deeper insight into what he meant when he said; "Virtue is not photogenic. What is it to be a nice guy? To be nothing, that's what. A big fat zero with a smile for everybody".

Nice Guys Don't Win


Well virtue or goodness may not be photogenic and in my opinion Kirk was insinuating the 'nice guys don't win' sentiment. Maybe in his formative years he knew a lot of nice guys who were very talented but never amounted to anything in Hollywood because their look didn't quite fit.

There are 8 billion plus people on this planet and not everyone of them can be winners in Hollywood or sport and since the vast majority have no intention of making it to tinseltown or the super bowl or even to be an olympian I doubt they are losing any sleep over it.

To be successful in anything you have to be determined and focused, the level of ruthlessness you possess will determine your level of integrity or how far exactly you are prepared to go to achieve your ambitions.

There are plenty of successful business people who rate as nice and socially acceptable human beings but when it comes down to business they can be just as ruthless as the next tycoon.

Looking Good Through The Lens


It is the same in sport, there are many examples of sports people who possess a relentless drive for self improvement who are nice guys away from their sport, ok there are a lot of examples of sports stars who are not so nice as well, but the point is that is the balance of the human race. Some good, some bad and just as many in between and it is the same in every race and culture.

There is a big difference between the world of business or sport and Hollywood and that inescapable truth is how good someone looks on camera. Sport or business don't care if you are ugly as long as you can perform. Tinseltown is not alone in this as the catwalk is exactly the same, if you do not look right through a lens you are out.

Virtue is not photogenic as Kirk Douglas stated in this quote but being a good person has contentment of the mind which leads to the one and only thing that matters, happiness.

The ruthless go-getters seldom know this satisfaction as they are so driven they cannot stop seeking their advancement.


Michael Joseph Farrelly Article By:



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Random photogenic Quote

True villains are extremely photogenic - Wallace Stevens