Birth is not always the criterion of goodness; unless and until one is trained in the culture of good association, one cannot become good

Expressions researched:
"trained in the culture of good association"

SB Canto 3

Birth is not always the criterion of goodness; unless and until one is trained in the culture of good association, one cannot become good.

SB 3.3.6, Purport:

It is said in other purāṇas that Narakāsura was the son of Dharitrī, the earth, by the Lord Himself. But he became a demon due to the bad association of Bāṇa, another demon. An atheist is called a demon, and it is a fact that even a person born of good parents can turn into a demon by bad association. Birth is not always the criterion of goodness; unless and until one is trained in the culture of good association, one cannot become good.