Never does a man portray his own character more vividly than in his manner of portraying another’s.
[Nie zeichnet der Mensch den eignen Charakter schärfer als in seiner Manier, einen fremden zu zeichnen.]
Jean Paul Richter (1763–1825) German writer, art historian, philosopher, littérateur [Johann Paul Friedrich Richter; pseud. Jean Paul]
Titan, Jubilee 28, cycle 110 (1803) [tr. Brooks (1863)]
(Source)
(Source (German)). Another translation:A man never reveals his character more vividly than when portraying the character of another.
[E.g. (1960); E.g. (1962)]
Struggling a little to understand this quote. My take is that if you disparage another person in your speech, it really shows the deficiencies of your own character. Not sure that is right.
I think that’s close. Not just that you are disparaging someone, though (it can also involve how you praise someone), but how you go about it. Are you doing it in a fair-minded fashion, or gleefully delving into wild rumors? Is it balanced, or all one-sided? Acknowledging nuances of situation, or making broad, blanket statements? Writing in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, or using long and obfuscating terminology, or speaking calmly and plainly? What are you focusing on (since that presumably implies what you consider most important), and what, if anything, are you leaving out?
That’s how I read it, anyway.