The seven deadly sins are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church uses avarice for greed and lists the last item as sloth or acedia. It calls them capital sins because they can give rise to other sins and vices. Catechism §1866
The seven deadly sins and their virtue pairings
A virtue pairing suggests a quality to practice in response to a particular impulse. The pairings vary across sources. The Baltimore Catechism pairs anger with meekness and envy with brotherly love. A parish teaching handout also offers patience for anger and kindness for envy. The table uses the labels from FermatMind’s seven reflection themes. Baltimore Catechism No. 3, Q. 317 · St. Raymond parish handout
| Deadly sin | Virtue paired by FermatMind | What the virtue can look like |
|---|---|---|
| Pride | Humility | Giving others credit and staying open to correction |
| Greed | Generosity | Sharing what you can spare |
| Lust | Chastity | Handling sexual attraction with care for the other person’s boundaries |
| Envy | Kindness | Acknowledging someone’s good fortune even when you wanted it too |
| Gluttony | Temperance | Enjoying food or drink in moderation |
| Wrath | Patience | Addressing a problem without turning it into payback |
| Sloth | Diligence | Taking a manageable first step on a responsibility you’ve been putting off |
How do capital sins differ from mortal sins?
In Catholic teaching, capital describes the capacity to give rise to other wrongs. For instance, wanting all the credit can lead someone to lie about who did the work. Mortal describes a sin involving grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent together. The first term describes how a vice can spread. The second takes account of the gravity of the matter and the person’s awareness and choice. Catechism §1866 · Catechism §§1857–1859
Seven everyday examples at a community film night
Imagine you’re helping put on a neighborhood film screening. These seven fictional moments show where a familiar impulse can take you and what a different response could look like.
1. Pride and humility when someone praises your work
A neighbor compliments the poster you designed. Bea caught the wrong start time just before it went to print. You could take the compliment and leave her out. You could also say, “Thanks! I did the layout, and Bea caught the typo that would’ve sent everyone here an hour early.” You get to enjoy the compliment and give Bea her share of the credit.
2. Greed and generosity when there are spare tickets
You’ve set aside seats for everyone you invited. The café next door asks if two of its staff can come, and you’re tempted to hold the last seats in case more of your friends turn up. Generosity can be as simple as checking which seats are genuinely free and offering those. The people you’ve already promised seats can still count on them.
3. Lust and chastity when a date wants to wait
Before the screening, you ask the person you’ve been dating if they’d like to kiss. They say they’d rather wait. You feel the urge to ask again, but you accept their answer and head inside together. In this example, the paired virtue shows up as respect for someone’s choice while you feel attracted to them. The Catechism discusses lust and chastity within a wider teaching about sexuality. Catechism §§2337 and 2351
4. Envy and kindness when someone else gets picked
Another volunteer is asked to host the next screening. You wanted the job and catch yourself looking for reasons they didn’t deserve it. You can still tell them, sincerely, “You got people talking about the film. I liked that.” Later, you can ask the organizer how to put yourself forward. Their success and your own ambitions can both have room.
5. Gluttony and temperance at the snack table
At the break, you’re comfortably full. You reach for more popcorn out of habit, even though you’d rather get back to a conversation. Temperance might mean putting the bowl down and rejoining your friends. If you’re still hungry, taking another serving makes sense. The choice is about how you handle the pleasure in front of you. Thomas Aquinas, *Summa Theologiae*, II–II, q. 148, art. 1
6. Wrath and patience when the sound cuts out
Someone accidentally unplugs the speaker and the room goes quiet. You’re frustrated and tempted to call them out in front of everyone. Patience might sound like, “We’ll be back in a minute. Can you help me trace this cable?” After the film, you can agree on which outlets to leave alone. The problem still gets addressed.
7. Sloth and diligence when the chairs need returning
You promised to return the borrowed chairs the next day. You have time and transport, but you keep putting it off because the job is dull. Diligence starts with texting a drop-off time and moving the first stack to the door. If you’re ill or the car falls through, arranging a handoff is a reasonable way to follow through. This is an everyday use of sloth. Aquinas discusses acedia as sorrow in relation to spiritual good. Thomas Aquinas, *Summa Theologiae*, II–II, q. 35
Are these the same as the cardinal and theological virtues?
The phrase seven virtues can also refer to four cardinal virtues and three theological virtues, two groups described in the Catechism. Oxford Medieval Studies, *The Seven Deadly Sins and Their Antidotes*
- The four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Catechism §1805
- The three theological virtues are faith, hope, and charity. Here, charity refers to love of God and neighbor. Catechism §§1813 and 1822
Temperance appears in both the cardinal list and the comparison table. The lists serve different purposes. The cardinal and theological virtues describe central virtues in Catholic teaching. The table pairs each vice with one possible response in everyday life.
What do the FermatMind test scores mean?
FermatMind’s quiz uses 28 statements about the past four weeks to produce 14 separately calculated scores. Each score summarizes how closely your answers fit two statements. You can score high on both wrath and patience if you recognize both kinds of reaction in your recent experience. The quiz is for entertainment and reflection. It has no established population norms or psychometric validation, and the scores cannot establish your moral character. FermatMind’s Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Virtues Test
