Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Adversity teaches us more valuable lessons than prosperity, shaping our character and resilience.
William Hazlitt emphasizes that while prosperity can provide comfort and ease, it is through experiencing hardship and challenges that we truly learn and grow. Adversity not only develops our mental strength but also cultivates our understanding and appreciation of lifeβs lessons, making us wiser and more resilient in the face of future challenges.
Themes
ProsperityAdversityWisdomStrengthResilienceLearning
In practice
Example use cases
During a commencement speech to inspire graduates about the importance of resilience.
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
One is always more vexed at losing a game of any sort by a single hole or ace, than if one has never had a chance of winning it.
William HazlittRead
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