It has ever been my experience that folks who have no vices, have very few virtues.

The remark is a wry, humanizing observation: people who present themselves as entirely without “vices” (flaws, appetites, or moral weaknesses) may also lack the warmth, spontaneity, or fellow-feeling that often accompanies a fully lived moral life. Lincoln’s point is not that vice is good, but that an appearance of spotless purity can signal rigidity, self-righteousness, or a narrow temperament—traits that may crowd out virtues like charity, humility, and tolerance. Read this way, the line cautions against moral absolutism and encourages a more compassionate view of human imperfection, suggesting that virtue is tested and made meaningful in the presence of temptation and limitation.