MORE: If we lived in a State where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us good, and greed would make us saintly. And we’d live like animals or angels in the happy land that needs no heroes. But since in fact we see that avarice, anger, envy, pride, sloth, lust and stupidity commonly profit far beyond humility, chastity, fortitude, justice and thought, and have to choose, to be human at all … why then perhaps we must stand fast a little — even at the risk of being heroes.

Robert Bolt (1924-1995) English dramatist

A Man for All Seasons, play, Act 1 (1960)
    (Source)

Spoken to his family while in the Tower of London, awaiting trial. In the 1966 film adaptation, this is shortened:

If we lived in a State where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us saintly. But since we see that avarice, anger, pride and stupidity commonly profit far beyond charity, modesty, justice and thought, perhaps we must stand fast a little -- even at the risk of being heroes.