:Areté (ancient Greek ᾰρετή ) - Excellence:

Excursus

"Areté implies a respect for the wholeness or oneness of life, and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implies a contempt for efficiency...or rather a much higher idea of efficiency, an efficiency which exists not in one department of life but in life itself. ...

What moves the Greek warrior to deeds of heroism,'' Kitto comments, ``is not a sense of duty as we understand it...duty towards others: it is rather duty towards himself. He strives after that which we translate `virtue' but is in Greek areté, `excellence' -- we shall have much to say about areté. It runs through Greek life. ...

Phædrus is fascinated too by the description of the motive of ``duty toward self '' which is an almost exact translation of the Sanskrit word dharma, sometimes described as the ``one'' of the Hindus. Can the dharma of the Hindus and the ``virtue'' of the ancient Greeks be identical?

Then Phædrus feels a tugging to read the passage again, and he does so and then -- what's this?! -- ``That which we translate `virtue ' but is in Greek `excellence'.

Lightning hits!

Quality! Virtue! Dharma! That is what the Sophists were teaching! Not ethical relativism. Not pristine ``virtue.'' But areté. Excellence. Dharma! Before the Church of Reason. Before substance. Before form. Before mind and matter. Before dialectic itself. Quality had been absolute. Those first teachers of the Western world were teaching Quality, and the medium they had chosen was that of rhetoric. He has been doing it right all along."

- Robert M. Pirisig in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"

Virtues contributing to wholeness and integrity 
Bravery
Carefulness
Compassion
Confidence
Courage
Diligence
Discipline
Forgiveness
Generosity
Helpfulness
Honesty
Humility
Faith Love Hope theol.
Intelligence
Loyalty
Moderation
Patience
Perseverance
Punctuality
Respect
Self-discipline
Sense of order
Sincerity
Solidarity
Steadfastness
Tolerance
Willpower
Wisdom