Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
No man is truly great who is great only in his lifetime. The test of greatness is the page of history.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True greatness is recognized over time, not merely during one's life.
This quote by William Hazlitt suggests that real greatness is not determined by someone's achievements or recognition in their lifetime, but rather by how history remembers them. It emphasizes the idea that lasting impact and legacy are the true measures of greatness, as opposed to fleeting fame or success that may not endure beyond an individual's lifespan.
Themes
GreatnessHistoryLegacyImpactRemembering
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to inspire students to think beyond their immediate goals.
More from William Hazlitt
All quotes βThe world loves to be amused by hollow professions, to be deceived by flattering appearances, to live in a state of hallucination; and can forgive everything but the plain, downright, simple, honest truth.
William HazlittRead
Our repugnance to death increases in proportion to our consciousness of having lived in vain.
William HazlittRead
We can bear to be deprived of everything but our self-conceit.
William HazlittRead
There are few things in which we deceive ourselves more than in the esteem we profess to entertain for our firends. It is little better than a piece of quackery. The truth is, we think of them as we please, that is, as they please or displease us.
William HazlittRead
Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.
William HazlittRead
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When the highwayman holds his gun to your head, you turn your valuables over to him. You 'consent' alright, but you do so because you cannot help yourself, because you are compelled by his gun. Are you not compelled to work for an employer? Your need compels you, just as the highwayman's gun.
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Did you ever notice how difficult it is to argue with someone who is not obsessed with being right?
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If one does away with the fact of the Resurrection, one also does away with the Cross, for both stand and fall together, and one would then have to find a new center for the whole message of the gospel.
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Only the dead stay seventeen forever.
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