Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
We learn to curb our will and keep our overt actions within the bounds of humanity, long before we can subdue our sentiments and imaginations to the same mild tone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-control and moderation in our actions and emotions.
William Hazlitt reflects on the gradual process of learning to balance our desires and thoughts with the principles of humanity. While we may initially succeed in managing our outward behavior, mastering our inner feelings and imagination can take much longer, highlighting the complexity of self-regulation and emotional maturity.
Themes
Self-ControlHumanityEmotionsActionsWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth and emotional intelligence.
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
Similar quotes
I laugh at those who think they can damage me. They do not know who I am, they do not know what I think, they cannot even touch the things which are really mine and with which I live.
EpictetusRead
Dear young people, please, donβt be observers of life, but get involved. Jesus did not remain an observer, but he immersed himself. Donβt be observers, but immerse yourself in the reality of life, as Jesus did.
Pope FrancisRead
Doing nothing means unplugging from the compulsion to always keep ourselves busy, the habit of shielding ourselves from certain feelings, the tension of trying to manipulate our experience before we even fully acknowledge what that experience is.
Sharon SalzbergRead
When words are both true and kind, they can change the world.
Gautama BuddhaRead
A good example brings about so much good, but hypocrisy brings about so much evil.
Pope FrancisRead
People sometimes imagine that just because they have access to so many newspapers, radio and TV channels, they will get an infinity of different opinions. Then they discover that things are just the opposite: the power of these loudspeakers only amplifies the opinion prevalent at a certain time, to the point where it covers any other opinion.
Amin MaaloufRead