Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
A man's reputation is not in his own keeping, but lies at the mercy of the profligacy of others. Calumny requires no proof. The throwing out [of] malicious imputations against any character leaves a stain, which no after-refutation can wipe out. To create an unfavorable impression, it is not necessary that certain things should be true, but that they have been said. The imagination is of so delicate a texture that even words wound it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A person's reputation is vulnerable to the opinions and actions of others, regardless of the truth.
William Hazlitt's quote emphasizes the fragility of reputation, indicating that it can easily be harmed by baseless accusations and rumors. He argues that the mere act of speaking ill of someone can tarnish their image, often beyond repair, regardless of the truthfulness of the statements. This highlights the power of words and how they can shape perceptions, even if they are unfounded or false.
Themes
ReputationWordsCalumnyPerceptionTruth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a talk about the impact of social media on reputation.
More from William Hazlitt
All quotes →The 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
Similar quotes
Adult life is dealing with an enormous amount of questions that don't have answers. So I let the mystery settle into my music. I don't deny anything, I don't advocate anything, I just live with it.
Bruce SpringsteenRead
The moral truth here is obvious: anyone who feels that the interests of a blastocyst just might supersede the interests of a child with a spinal cord injury has had his moral sense blinded by religious metaphysics.
Sam HarrisRead
People must not be forced to adopt me as their favourite author, even for their own good.
George Bernard ShawRead
I found that things became a lot easier when I no longer expected to win. You abandon your masterpiece and sink into the real masterpiece.
Leonard CohenRead
We have the power to choose, moment by moment, who and how we want to be in the world.
Jill Bolte TaylorRead
But there are no loners. No man lives in a void. His every act is conditioned by his time and his society.
William ManchesterRead