Prudence is the virtue that puts all the other virtues into action. As Thomas Aquinas explained, “it belongs to the ruling of prudence to decide in what manner and by what means” a person will act virtuously. For this reason, prudence has been called “the charioteer of the virtues.”
Training that charioteer—improving one’s prudence—is therefore one of the most leveraged ways to become more virtuous. The greater your prudence, the greater will be your capacity to act according to the rest of the seven heavenly virtues: justice, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope, and charity.
The exercise of prudence consists of the performance of three acts, according to Aquinas.
Counsel: We “take counsel,” which means we inquire into and discover the singular and contingent circumstances that bear on the matter we are considering.
Judgment: We “judge of what one has discovered,” which means we use our reason to evaluate those circumstances and arrive at a judgment “about what is to be done”—in other words, we make a resolution about how to act.
Command: Finally, we apply “to action the things counselled and judged.” We execute our judgment “about what is to be done.” We perform what we resolved.
To become more prudent is to get better at performing each of the above acts: to be more considerate, judicious, and resolute in our conduct.
If prudence is “the charioteer of the virtues,” counsel, judgment, and command are the eyes, reins, and whip of that charioteer. These three parts of prudence give us the lay of land, turn us in the right direction, and drive us forward.
Consult and deliberate before you act, that you may not commit foolish actions. For it is the part of a miserable man to speak and to act without reflection. But do the thing which will not afflict you afterwards, nor oblige you to repentance.
— The Golden Verses
Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
— Benjamin Franklin