Literary notes about Inculcate (AI summary)
In literature, the term “inculcate” is used to denote the deliberate process of instilling ideas, values, or behaviors, often serving as a vehicle for moral or ideological instruction. Authors employ it to capture the notion of teaching fundamental lessons—from instilling sobriety, thrift, and respect for authority [1] to nurturing faith and steadfast principles in children [2]. It frequently appears in contexts where the act of inculcation is not merely academic but a continuous effort to embed societal, ethical, or personal virtues into the fabric of daily life, as when characters are urged to acquire habits of self-restraint, piety, or even strategic obedience [3] [4]. Whether framing the transmission of moral precepts in domestic settings, as seen with guidance for children [5] or challenging oppressive doctrines by promoting higher ethical standards [6] [7], “inculcate” functions as a powerful literary tool that encapsulates both the nurturing and shaping of character.
- We must inculcate lessons of sobriety and thrift, of reverence for constituted authority.
— from Prince Hagen by Upton Sinclair - The aim of this lesson should be to inculcate in the child faith in God's power and providence as revealed in Jewish history.
— from A Manual for Teaching Biblical History by Eugene Kohn - If its object be simply to inculcate a special rite, one cannot demand that it should show breadth of view or elevation of sentiment.
— from The Religions of India Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris Jastrow by Edward Washburn Hopkins - But they knew, too, how to inculcate wisdom for future conduct.
— from The Romance of Lust: A classic Victorian erotic novel by Anonymous - The greatest trait of character you can inculcate in a child is self-reliance."
— from Kit of Greenacre Farm by Izola L. (Izola Louise) Forrester - He must, of course, also repudiate as superstitious that awe of it as an absolute or Divine Code which Intuitional moralists inculcate.
— from The Methods of Ethics by Henry Sidgwick - Let us beware of proclaiming the truth to those who cannot as yet comprehend it, for to do so is to try to inculcate error.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
