In the public sphere, it is unequivocal that the language of virtues impregnates much of our discourse and analyses about domestic and international leaders. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Christine Lagarde, Donald Trump, Luis Moreno Ocampo or Silvio Berlusconi often trigger(ed) heated reactions about their official and private behaviours deemed to be inappropriate and found wanting from a moral standpoint. On the other side of the fence, Barack Obama, António Guterres, Nelson Mandela or Dag Hammarskjöld and Greta Thunberg are or have been praised as being virtuous and inspirational leaders capable of moving the world towards a brighter future.