Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave.

The saying presents an idealized social order held up by four complementary virtues: intellectual guidance (the wise), fair governance (the great), spiritual intercession and moral example (the good), and protective courage (the brave). Read this way, it argues that a flourishing community depends on more than power or wealth: knowledge must inform action, authority must be restrained by justice, piety must translate into concern for others, and bravery must be directed toward defense of the common good. The structure also implies mutual dependence—learning without justice is sterile, justice without courage is fragile, and courage without moral purpose becomes mere force.