When our vices desert us, we flatter ourselves that we are deserting our vices.
[Quand les vices nous quittent, nous nous flattons de la créance que c’est nous qui les quittons.]
François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶192 (1665-1678) [tr. Kronenberger (1959)]
(Source)
Present in the 1st (1665) edition. In that version and the manuscript, the latter part read "... nous voulons nous flatter que c’est nous qui les quittons."
(Source (French)). Other translations:When our Vices forsake us, we please our selves with an Opinion, that we parted first, and left them.
[tr. Stanhope (1694), ¶193]When our vices have left us, we flatter ourselves that we have left them.
[pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶440]When our Vices have left us, we flatter ourselves that we have left them.
[ed. Lepoittevin-Lacroix (1797), ¶184]When our vices leave us, we flatter ourselves that we have left them.
[ed. Carvill (1835), ¶367]When our vices quit us we flatter ourselves with the belief that it is we who quit them.
[ed. Gowens (1851), ¶201]When our vices leave us we flatter ourselves with the idea we have left them.
[tr. Bund/Friswell (1871), ¶192]We flatter ourselves that we quit our vices; in reality our vices quit us.
[tr. Heard (1917), ¶197]When our vices abandon us, we flatter ourselves that it is we who abandon them.
[tr. Stevens (1939), ¶192]When our vices depart from us, we flatter ourselves that it is we who have gotten rid of them.
[tr. FitzGibbon (1957), ¶192]When the vices give us up we flatter ourselves that we are giving up them.
[tr. Tancock (1959), ¶192]When our vices leave us, we flatter ourselves with the belief that it is we who have left them.
[tr. Whichello (2016) ¶192]
Quotations about:
self-improvement
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
It is the business of this life to make excuses for others, but none for ourselves. We should be clearly persuaded of our own misconduct, for that is the part of knowledge in which we are most apt to be defective.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Essay (1880-01/02?), “Reflections and Remarks on Human Life,” § 1.1 “Justice and Justification”
(Source)
A collection of aphorisms and musings, first published in the Edinburgh Edition of his Works, vol. 28 (1898).
There really are things you can do to keep your body looking healthy and youthful for years to come. But before I discuss these things, I want you to answer the following questions honestly: Are you willing to make the hard sacrifices needed to be really healthy? Are you willing to commit yourself totally to a program of regular exercise, close medical supervision, and the elimination of all caffeine, alcohol, and rich foods, to be replaced by a strict diet of nutrition-rich, kelp-like plant growths so unappetizing that they will make you actually lust for tofu?
Or are you the kind of shallow, irresponsible person who wants a purely cosmetic change, a “quick and dirty” surface gloss that may make you look young and healthy, but actually has no long-term value? Me too.Dave Barry (b. 1947) American humorist, author, columnist
Dave Barry Turns 40, ch. 2 “Your Disintegrating Body” (1990)
(Source)
Perhaps that’s what we all had to do — think out for ourselves what we could believe and how we could live by it. And so I came to the conclusion that you had to use this life to develop the very best that you could develop.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) First Lady of the US (1933–1945), politician, diplomat, activist
Essay (1951-12), “This I Believe: Growth that Starts from Thinking,” on Edward R. Murrow, This I Believe, CBS Radio
(Source)
(Source (Audio); start 1:54). The essay was read without a script. The official transcript gives "what we all must do," but the audio clearly says, "what we all had to do."
Collected in Edward P. Morgan (ed.), This I Believe (1952).
But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) English writer, literary scholar, lay theologian [Clive Staples Lewis]
An Experiment in Criticism, Epilogue (1961)
(Source)
Closing words.
You are under no obligation to remain the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even a day ago. You are here to create yourself, continuously.
Richard Feynman (1918-1988) American physicist
(Spurious)
Not found in his writings, lectures, or speeches. See Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Feynman – Terence Eden’s Blog for more discussion.
It is possibly a misattributed variant of something said by Alan Watts ...You are under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago.
... which may or may not actually be authentic, either.
If we are indeed here to perfect and complete our own natures, and grow larger, stronger, and more sympathetic against some nobler career in the future, we had all best bestir ourselves to the utmost while we have the time. To equip a dull, respectable person with wings would be but to make a parody of an angel.
Thou never wast so good as thou shouldest be; if thou does not strive to be better. And thou never wilt be better, if thou doest not fear to grow worse.
Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 2, # 2092 (1727)
(Source)
The Rash, the Lazy, Lover, none’s so wild,
But may be tame, and may be wisely mild,
If they consult true Vertue’s Rules with care,
And lend to good advice a patient ear.[Invidus, iracundus, iners, vinosus, amator,
nemo adeo ferus est, ut non mitescere possit,
si modo culturae patientem commodet aurem.]Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 1 “To Maecenas,” l. 38ff (1.1.38-40) (20 BC) [tr. Creech (1684)]
(Source)
(Source (Latin)). Other translations:Th'envyouse, angrye, drunken, slowe, the lover lewde and wylde
None so outeragiouse, but in tyme he maye become full mylde.
If he to good advertisemente will retche his listenyng eare,
And meekely byde with pacience the counsaile he shall heare.
[tr. Drant (1567)]The Envious, Wrathful, Sluggish, Drunkard, Lover:
No Beast so wild, but may be tam'd, if he
Will unto Precepts listen patiently.
[tr. Fanshawe; ed. Brome (1666)]The slave to envy, anger, wine, or love,
The wretch of sloth, its excellence shall prove:
Fierceness itself shall hear its rage away.
When listening calmly to the instructive lay.
[tr. Francis (1747)]The heart with envy cold -- with anger hot,
The libertine, the sluggard and the sot --
No wretch so savage, but, if he resign
His soul to culture, wisdom can refine.
[tr. Howes (1845)]The envious, the choleric, the indolent, the slave to wine, to women -- none is so savage that he can not be tamed, if he will only lend a patient ear to discipline.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]Run through the list of faults; whate'er you be,
Coward, pickthank, spitfire, drunkard, debauchee,
Submit to culture patiently, you'll find
Her charms can humanize the rudest mind.
[tr. Conington (1874)]However coarse in grain a man may be,
Drone, brawler, makebate, drunkard, debauchee,
A patient ear to culture let him lend,
He's sure to turn out gentler in the end.
[tr. Martin (1881)]Are you envious, irascible, inert, given to wine or immorality? No person is so savage that he cannot grow milder, provided he lend a patient ear to civilization's culture.
[tr. Elgood (1893)]The slave to envy, anger, sloth, wine, lewdness -- no one is so savage that he cannot be tamed, if only he lend to treatment a patient ear.
[tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)]The envious, passionate, slothful, drunken, lewd —
No man so savage but he drops the mood,
Lend he but patient ear to counsel good.
[tr. Murison, ed. Kramer (1936)]The envious man,
The sorehead, the lazy lout, the drinker, the lover:
No one is such a beast as not to be tamed
By lending a patient ear to moral advice.
[tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]Envious, wrathful, lazy, drunken men, lewd lovers too,
none is so thoroughly wild a beast he can't be tamed,
if only he'll lend for cultivation's sake an open ear.
[tr. Fuchs (1977)]Jealousy,
Anger, laziness, drunkenness, lust: everything
Can be cured, nothing is so wild
That patient teaching will ever fail you.
[tr. Raffel (1983)]Nobody's so far gone in savagery --
A slave of envy, wrath, lust, drunkenness, sloth --
That he can't be civilized, if he'll only listen
Patiently to the doctor's good advice.
[tr. Ferry (2001)]Whether he’s envious, choleric, indolent, drunken or lustful --
no one is so unruly that he can’t become more gentle,
if only he listens with care to what his trainer tells him.
[tr. Rudd (2005 ed.)]Envious, irascible, idle, drunken, lustful,
No man’s so savage he can’t be civilised,
If he’ll attend patiently to self-cultivation.
[tr. Kline (2015)]
In sharpness of vision you’re no match for Lynceus,
but you don’t despise ointment if you have sore eyes;
and though you’ll never match unbeaten Glycon’s strength,
you guard yourself against attacks of crippling gout.
We advance part way even if we can’t go further.[Non possis oculo quantum contendere Lynceus,
non tamen idcirco contemnas lippus inungui;
nec quia desperes invicti membra Glyconis,
nodosa corpus nolis prohibere cheragra.
Est quadam prodire tenus, si non datur ultra.]Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 1 “To Maecenas,” l. 28ff (1.1.28-32) (20 BC) [tr. Fuchs (1977)]
(Source)
(Source (Latin)). Other translations:Though one cannot lyke Linceus with pearsing eyesight see,
To mende his sighte he maye not grudge inoynted for to be.
Lyke lustie Glyco thou dispayres in lymmes to be so stoute
Yet maye thou exercyse thy selfe to shun the knottie gowte.
A man maye clim a step, or twayne thoughe he goe not beyonde.
[tr. Drant (1567)]Thy eyes will never pierce like Lynceus eye,
Scorn not to noint them though if sore they are:
Nor, of a Wrastlers strength if thou despair,
Neglect to salve the knotted Gout. If more
'S deni'd, 'tis something to have gon thus fur.
[tr. Fanshawe; ed. Brome (1666)]Yours cannot be as good as Lynceus Eyes,
What then, when Sore must I fit Cures despise?
You cannot Hope to have your Limbs as great
As Glyco's, nor so strong and firmly set,
Yet to prevent the Gout hast Thou no care?
What, if of farther progress you despair,
'Tis somewhat surely to have gone thus far.
[tr. Creech (1684)]You cannot hope for Lynceus' piercing eyes:
But will you then a strengthening salve despise?
You wish for matchless Glycon's limbs, in vain,
Yet why not cure the gout's decrepit pain?
Though of exact perfection you despair,
Yet every step to virtue's worth your care.
[tr. Francis (1747)]Though not a Lynceus, one may sure apply
The lenient salve to a distemper'd eye;
Nor would you scorn from chalk-stones to preserve
Joints that despair of Glycon's lion nerve.
Though hopeless to surmount fair virtue's hill,
To climb a certain height is something still.
[tr. Howes (1845)]Your sight is not so piercing as that of Lynceus; you will not however therefore despise being anointed, if you are sore-eyed: nor because you despair of the muscles of the invincible Glycon, will you be careless of preserving your body from the knotty gout. There is some point to which we may reach, if we can go no further.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]Your eyes will never see like Lynceus'; still
You rub them with an ointment when they're ill.
You cannot hope for Glyco's stalwart frame,
Yet you'd avoid the gout that makes you lame.
Some point of moral progress each may gain,
Though to aspire beyond it should prove vain.
[tr. Conington (1874)]No Lynceus you, yet will you not despise,
Because of that, a salve for aching eyes.
Glycon in thews may beat you out and out,
Shall you not, therefore, keep at bay the gout?
Fair wisdom's goal may not be reached, but you
May on the road advance a stage or two.
[tr. Martin (1881)]You may be unable to see so far as Lyncæus, yet you do not on this account, being a blear-eyed man, despise ointment. You may despair of possessing limbs like those of the unconquered gladiator Glycon, yet you will endeavour to preserve yourself from the hand-crippling gout. It is permitted us to attain a certain point, though denied us beyond it.
[tr. Elgood (1893)]You may not be able, with your eyes, to see as far as Lynceus, yet you would not on that account scorn to anoint them, if sore. Nor, because you may not hope for unconquered Glycon's strength of limb, would you decline to keep your body free from the gnarls of gout. It is worth while to take some steps forward, though we may not go still further.
[tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)]Your eyes aren’t as keen
As Lynceus’, but this doesn’t mean that if they’re inflamed
You shouldn’t put drops in them. Glycon’s muscular limbs
Will never be yours, but still, you ought to take steps
To insure that the gout doesn’t tie your body in knots.
Your strides may be modest: they'll still take you further along.
[tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]Your eyes will never see as Lynkeus
Saw, riding with Jason, but when your eyes
Hurt, you rub them with slave. Olympic
Winners are stronger, alas, than you
Can ever be, but you too protect
Yourself form the wringing pain of gout.
It pays to go as far as our feet will take us,
Though there's farther to go,
And we can never go that far.
[tr. Raffel (1983)]Suppose you don't have eyes as good as Lynceus;
That doesn't mean that if they're sore you wouldn't
Use salve to make them better; suppose you haen't
A chance int he world of competing with undefeated
Glycon the strongman, that doesn't mean you wouldn't
Try everythihng you could by exercise
To keep away rheumatic aches and pains.
You can't do everything, but you have to do
Everything you can.
[tr. Ferry (2001)]You might not be able to rival Lynceus in length of vision,
but that wouldn’t make you refuse a salve if your eyes were sore.
You'll never enjoy the physique of Glyco the champeon athlete,
but you'd still want to keep your body free from the knots of gout.
We can all make some progress, in spite of our limitations.
[tr. Rudd (2005 ed.)]You mightn’t be able to match Lynceus’ eyesight,
But you wouldn’t not bathe your eyes if they were sore:
And just because you can’t hope to have Glycon’s peerless
Physique, you’d still want your body free of knotty gout.
We should go as far as we can if we can’t go further.
[tr. Kline (2015)]
The happiness that is genuinely satisfying is accompanied by the fullest exercise of our faculties, and the fullest realization of the world in which we live.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Conquest of Happiness, Part 1, ch. 7 “The Sense of Sin” (1930)
(Source)
To be honest, to be kind — to earn a little and to spend a little less, to make upon the whole a family happier for his presence, to renounce when that shall be necessary and not be embittered, to keep a few friends, but these without capitulation — above all, on the same grim condition, to keep friends with himself — here is a task for all that a man has of fortitude and delicacy. He has an ambitious soul who would ask more; he has a hopeful spirit who should look in such an enterprise to be successful.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Essay (1888-12), “A Christmas Sermon,” sec. 1, Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. 4
(Source)
Originally written in the winter of 1887-88. Collected in Across the Plains, ch. 12 (1892).
When we take people merely as they are, we make them worse; when we treat them as if they were what they should be, we improve them as far as they can be improved.
[Wenn wir die Menschen nur nehmen, wie sie sind, so machen wir sie schlechter; wenn wir sie behandeln, als wären sie, was sie sein sollten, so bringen wir sie dahin, wohin sie zu bringen sind.]Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, statesman, scientist
Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship, Book 8, ch. 4 (1796) [tr. Carlyle (1824)]
(Source)
Theresa, quoting Wilhelm in a letter to him.
(Source (German)). Alternate translation:If all we do is take people as they are, we shall make them worse; if we treat them as if they were what they ought to be, we shall lead them to that place where they are to be led.
[tr. Waidson (1972)]
The following very similar passage is often cited to Haim Ginott, Teacher and Child: A Book for Parents and Teachers (1972), but does not appear in that work:If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming.
Whence had you this illustrious name?
From virtue and unblemish’d fame.
By birth the name alone descends;
Your honour on yourself depends:
Think not your coronet can hide
Assuming ignorance and pride.
Learning by study must be won,
‘Twas ne’er entail’d from son to son.John Gay (1685-1732) English poet and playwright
“The Pack-Horse and Carrier (To a young Nobleman),” ll. 41-42
(Source)
Some printings of the poem leave off the prologue, of which this is a part.
I am still learning.
[Ancora imparo.]
Michelangelo (1475-1564) Italian artist, architect, poet [Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni]
(Attributed)
Also rendered Anchora imparo. This is often described as a daily mantra of Michelangelo's. This association can be traced to Richard Duppa, The Lives and Works of Michael Angelo and Raphael (1806) [tr. Hazlitt]. Duppa misattributed to Michelangelo a drawing by Domenico Giuntalodi, which included the saying. The phrase itself was popular during the 16th Century.
While there's no indication that Michelangelo did not say this, or agree with the sentiment, it does not seem to have been solidly cited to him, or shown to be a personal motto, let alone being original to him.
More discussion: Michelangelo - Wikiquote.
Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.
William Faulkner (1897-1962) American novelist
“The Art of Fiction No. 12,” interview by Jean Stein, The Paris Review (Spring 1956)
(Source)
On being a good novelist.
Usually one’s cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, as my ersatz eggs Florentine surely were, then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile — and learn from her mistakes.
Julia Child (1912-2004) American chef and writer
My Life In France, “Le Cordon Bleu,” sec. 2 (2006)
(Source)
Why do people read? The answer, as regards the great majority, is: “They don’t.”
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
“Flight from Reality,” New York American (1932-03-02)
(Source)
The cardinal method with faults is to overgrow them and choke them out with virtues.
The noble-minded worry about their lack of ability, not about people’s failure to recognize their ability.
[君子病無能焉、不病人之不己知也]
Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 15, verse 19 (15.19) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Hinton (1998)]
(Source)
(Source (Chinese)). See also 1.16, 4.14, 14.30. Legge and other early translators numbered this, as shown below, 15.18. Alternate translations:The superior man is distressed by his want of ability. He is not distressed by men's not knowing him.
[tr. Legge (1861), 15.18]The trouble of the superior man will be his own want of ability: it will be no trouble to him that others do not know him.
[tr. Jennings (1895), 15.18]A wise and good man should be distressed that he has no ability ; he should never be distressed that men do not take notice of him.
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898), 15.18]The noble man is pained over his own incompetency, he is not pained that others ignore him.
[tr. Soothill (1910), 15.18]The proper man is irritated by his incapacities, not irritated by other people not recognizing him.
[tr. Pound (1933), 15.18]A gentleman is distressed by his own lack of capacity; he is never distressed at the failure of others to recognize his merits.
[tr. Waley (1938), 15.18]The perfect gentleman complains about his own inabilities; not about people’s ignorance of himself.
[tr. Ware (1950)]The gentleman is troubled by his own lack of ability, not by the failure of others to appreciate him.
[tr. Lau (1979)]The gentleman is pained at the lack of ability within himself; he is not pained at the fact that others do not appreciate him.
[tr. Dawson (1993)]A gentleman resents his incompetence; he does not resent his obscurity.
[tr. Leys (1997)]The gentleman worries about his incapability; he does not worry about men not knowing him.
[tr. Huang (1997)]A gentleman worries about that he does not have the ability, does not worry about that others do not understand him.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), #403]Exemplary persons (junzi) are distressed by their own lack of ability, not by the failure of others to acknowledge them.
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998)]The gentleman takes it as a fault if he is incapable of something; he does not take it as a fault if others do not know him.
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998)]The gentleman is distressed by his own inability, rather than the failure of others to recognize him.
[tr. Slingerland (2003)]The gentleman is troubled by his own lack of ability. He is not troubled by the fact that others do not understand him.
[tr. Watson (2007)]The gentleman is worried about his own lack of ability and not about the fact that others do not appreciate him.
[tr. Chin (2014)]A Jun Zi is disappointed about his own incompetency. He is not distressed that he is not known by others.
[tr. Li (2020)]
The greatest of sages can commit one mistake, but not two; he may fall into error, but he doesn’t lie down and make his home there.
[En un descuido puede caer el mayor sabio, pero en dos no; y de paso, que no de asiento.]
Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 214 (1647) [tr. Maurer (1992)]
(Source)
(Source (Spanish)). Alternate translations:The wisest man may very well fail once, but not twice; transiently, and by inadvertency, but not deliberately.
[Flesher ed. (1685)]A wise man may make one slip but never two, and that only in running, not while standing still.
[tr. Jacobs (1892)]The wisest of men may slip once, but not twice, and that only by chance, and not by design.
[tr. Fischer (1937)]
He has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Lecture (1859-11-13), “Courage,” Mr Parker’s Society, Music Hall, Boston
(Source)
Collected in Society and Solitude, ch. 10 (1870).
Remember that there is nothing noble in being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.
W. L. Sheldon (1858-1907) American lecturer, ethicist [Walter Lorenzo Sheldon]
“What to Believe: An Ethical Creed,” Ethical Addresses (Apr 1897)
(Source)
Often incorrectly attributed to Hemingway. More discussion: There Is Nothing Noble in Being Superior to Some Other Man. The True Nobility Is in Being Superior to Your Previous Self – Quote Investigator.
The conflict between what one is and who one is expected to be touches all of us. And sometimes, rather than reach for what one could be, we choose the comfort of the failed role, preferring to be the victim of circumstance, the person who didn’t have a chance.
Merle Shain (1935-1989) Canadian journalist and author
Hearts That We Broke Long Ago, Part 3, ch. 7 (1983)
(Source)
Both Christianity and alcohol have the power to convince us that what we previously thought deficient in ourselves and the world does not require attention; both weaken our resolve to garden our problems; both deny us the chance to fulfilment.
Alain de Botton (b. 1969) Swiss-British author
The Consolations of Philosophy, ch. 6 “Consolation for Difficulties” (sec. 19) (2000)
(Source)
Sometimes attributed to, but actually summarizing, Friedrich Nietzsche, who himself wrote of "the two great European narcotics, alcohol and Christianity" (Twilight of the Idols, "Things the Germans Lack" (sec. 2) (1888) [tr. Ludovici]).
Don’t be yourself — be someone a little nicer.
Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 4 (1966)
(Source)
Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those changes that would make all the difference.
Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 4 (1963)
(Source)
I think one must engage in politics — using the word in a wide sense — and that one must have preferences: that is, one must recognise that some causes are objectively better than others, even if they are advanced by equally bad means. As for the nationalistic loves and hatreds that I have spoken of, they are part of the make-up of most of us, whether we like it or not. Whether it is possible to get rid of them I do not know, but I do believe that it is possible to struggle against them, and that this is essentially a moral effort. It is a question first of all of discovering what one really is, what one’s own feelings really are, and then of making allowance for the inevitable bias.
George Orwell (1903-1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1945-05), “Notes on Nationalism,” Polemic Magazine (1945-10)
(Source)
Age is truly a time of heroic helplessness. One is confronted by one’s own incorrigibility. I am always saying to myself, “Look at you, and after a lifetime of trying.” I still have the vices that I have known and struggled with — well it seems like since birth. Many of them are modified, but not much. I can neither order nor command the hubbub of my mind.
Florida Scott-Maxwell (1883-1979) American-British playwright, author, psychologist
The Measure of My Days (1968)
(Source)
Strive to be the greatest Man in your Country, and you may be disappointed; Strive to be the best, and you may succeed: He may well win the race that runs by himself.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard (1747 ed.)
(Source)
But since it is no more in a Man’s Power to think than to look like another, methinks all that should be expected from me is to keep my Mind open to Conviction, to hear patiently and examine attentively whatever is offered me for that end; and if after all I continue in the same Errors, I believe your usual Charity will induce you rather to pity and excuse than blame me.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Letter to Josiah and Abiah Franklin (13 Apr 1738)
(Source)
His parents.
One must not always think so much about what one should do, but rather what one should be. Our works do not ennoble us; but we must ennoble our works.
Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-1328?) German theologian, philosopher, mystic [a.k.a. Johannes Eckhart von Hochheim; Eckhart; Eckehart]
Work and Being (14th C.)
Note: I haven't found a text by that name in Eckhart's bibliography, nor this quotation anywhere connected with anything but that title or none at all.
Every fellow is really two men — what he is and what he might be; and you’re never absolutely sure which you’re going to bury till he’s dead.
George Horace Lorimer (1867-1937) American journalist, author, magazine editor
Old Gorgon Graham: More Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son, ch. 12 (1904)
(Source)
You have to look at yourself objectively. Analyze yourself like an instrument. You have to be absolutely frank with yourself. Face your handicaps, don’t try to hide them. Instead, develop something else.
Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) Belgian-English actress
Quoted in Barry Paris, Audrey Hepburn, ch. 4 (2002)
(Source)
He that is good will infallibly become better, and he that is bad will as certainly become worse; for vice, virtue, and time are three things that never stand still.
Charles Caleb "C. C." Colton (1780-1832) English cleric, writer, aphorist
Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 457 (1820)
(Source)
Habits to be avoided, or corrected — the ones you are always criticizing in other people. You see, there’s profit to be derived everywhere; when you see or hear about some good example, you can imitate it, when you notice some habit that deserves censure, you can avoid it — or, if you’ve already got into it yourself, be at pains to correct it as soon as possible. Meanwhile, if you’ve a good eye for other people’s faults, don’t forget that they’re watching you.
[Illa etiam magis studeas cavere et vincere quæ tibi in aliis frequentius displicent. Ubique profectum tuum capies ut si bona exempla videas vel audias, de imitandis accendaris. Si quid autem reprehensibile confideraveris, cave ne idem facias, aut si aliquando fecisti, citius emendare te studeas. Sicut oculus tuus alios confiderat, sic iterum ab aliis notaris.]
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380-1471) German-Dutch priest, author
The Imitation of Christ [De Imitatione Christi], Book 1, ch. 25, v. 4-5 (1.25.4-5) (c. 1418-27) [tr. Knox-Oakley (1959)]
(Source)
See also Matthew 7:3-5.
(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:Study also to overcome in thyself those things that most mislike thee in other men, and take always some special profit in everyplace wheresoever thou come; as, if thou see any good example, enforce thee to follow it; and if thou see any evil example, look thou eschew it. As thy eye considereth the works of others, right so and in the same wise be thy works considered by others.
[tr. Whitford/Raynal (1530/1871)]Study also to overcome in yourself those things that displease you most in others, and always gather some special profit from any place at all. For instance, if you see any good example, make yourself follow it, and if you see any evil example, see that you avoid it. As your eye considers the works of others, so and in the same manner your works are considered by others.
[tr. Whitford/Gardiner (1530/1955)]Be carefull also to avoid with greater diligence those things in thy selfe which doe most displease thee in others. Gather some profit to thy soul out of every occasion whosoever thou be, so that if thou seest or hearest any good examples, be kindled and provoked to doe the like. But if thou perceive any thing worthy of reproofe, take heed of doing the same, or if thou have done it, labour quickly to amend it. As thou eyest other men so are other mens eies upon thee.
[tr. Page (1639), 1.25.16-19]And, as this Knowledge of our Own Frailties and Necessities, it is greatly instrumental to our own Improvement, so we shall do well to profit by what we see in Others: and to be particularly concern'd for avoiding and subduing those Habits, which we find most usual and offensive in them with whom we Converse. For the Commonness of any Ill thing is so far from extenuating the Blame of those who copy after it, that it is the direct contrary; and such Examples should be lookt upon, as Marks which discover to us where the Rocks and Sands lie; such as are set to warn us off not to invite us in. Indeed a wise and good Man will turn Examples of all sorts, to his own Advantage. The Good he will make his Patterns, and strive to equal or excel them. The Bad he will by all means avoid; or if by Reflection the Deformity of his Neighbour's Actions happen to represent that of his own, he will be sure to do so no more; and think it a happy occasion, that he is thus grown Wiser by the Folly of others.
[tr. Stanhope (1696; 1706 ed.)]Be particularly careful also to avoid chiefly those tempers and actions, that chiefly and most frequently displease thee in others. Wherever thou art, turn every thing to an occasion of improvement: if thou beholdeth or heareth of good examples, let them kindle in thee an ardent desire of imitation; if thou seest any thing blameable, beware of doing it thyself; or if thou hast done it, endeavor to amend it the sooner. As thy eye observeth, and thy judgment censureth others, so art thou observed and censured by them.
[tr. Payne (1803), 1.25.5]Be careful also to avoid with great diligence those things in thyself, which do commonly displease thee in others. Gather some profit to thy soul wheresoever thou be; so as if thou seest or hearest of any good examples, stir up thyself to the imitation thereof. But if thou seest any thing worthy of reproof, beware thou do not the same. And if at any time thou hast done it, labour quickly to amend it. As thine eye observeth others, so art thou also noted again by others.
[ed. Parker (1841)]Be careful also to avoid those things which more frequently displease thee on others. Wherever thou art, turn every thing to good account: if thou beholdest, or hearest of good examples, let them kindle in thee a desire of imitation; if thou observest any thing blameable , beware of doing it thyself; or, if thou hast occasionally done it, endeavour to amend it the sooner. As thy eye observeth others, so art thou observed by others in turn, and censured by them.
[tr. Dibdin (1851)]Endeavour with greater zeal to guard against and conquer those vices which most frequently annoy thee in others. Turn all occasions to thy spiritual profit: so that if thou seest or hearest any good examples, thou mayest be spurred on to imitate them. But if thou observe anything that is blameworthy, take heed thou commit not the same; or if thou at any time hast done it, labour to correct thyself as soon as possible. As thine eye observeth others, so art thou in turn observed by others.
[ed. Bagster (1860)]And strive also very earnestly to guard against and subdue those faults which displease thee most frequently in others. Gather some profit to thy soul wherever thou art, and wherever thou seest or hearest good examples, stir thyself to follow them, but where thou seest anything which is blameworthy, take heed that thou do not the same; or if at any time thou hast done it, strive quickly to amend thyself. As thine eye observeth others, so again are the eyes of others upon thee.
[tr. Benham (1874)]Be careful also diligently to avoid those things in thyself, which do commonly displease thee in others. Gather some profit to thy soul wheresoever thou art; so that if thou seest any good examples, stir up thyself to the imitation thereof. But if thou observe anything worthy of reproof; beware thou do not the same. And if at any time thou hast done it, labour quickly to amend thyself. As thine eye observeth others, so art thou also noted again by others.
[tr. Anon. (1901)]Also try more to avoid and overcome those things which most frequently displease you in others. Make your headway in every direction, so that, if you see or hear of good examples, you are fired to imitate them. But if you consider anything blameworthy, take care that you do not the same; or if at any time you have done so, quickly try to correct yourself. As your eye observes others, so you too are noted by them.
[tr. Daplyn (1952)]Especially study to avoid and overcome those things that most displease you in other people. Strive to progress in all things, and let any examples you see or hear inspire you to imitate them. But if you observe anything blameworthy, take care not to do the same yourself. And should you ever have done so, amend your conduct without delay. As you observe others, so do others observe you.
[tr. Sherley-Price (1952)]You must also take care to be on your guard and to overcome those things especially which displease you most often in others. You may find opportunities for progress everywhere -- if you see or hear of good examples, you should be inspired to follow them; if you observe anything that can be blamed, take care that you do not do the same. If you have ever done it, you must quickly mend your ways. As your own eye observes other people, you are in turn observed by them.
[tr. Knott (1962)]Strive also to escape and overcome whatever you find offensive in others. May you grasp at every opportunity for progress. Where you see or hear good example may you be stirred to follow it. When you notice any deed worthy of condemnation, take care that you do not do likewise; and if you do so sometimes, try to correct yourself as quickly as possible. Just as you see others so also you are seen by them.
[tr. Rooney (1979)]
It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.
Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) South African revolutionary, politician, statesman
Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy.
Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774) Irish poet, playwright, novelist
“On Our Theaters,” The Bee, #11 (13 Oct 1759)
You convey too great a compliment when you say that I have earned the right to the presidential nomination. No man can establish such an obligation upon any part of the American people. My country owes me no debt. It gave me, as it gives every boy and girl, a chance. It gave me schooling, independence of action, opportunity for service and honor. In no other land could a boy from a country village, without inheritance or influential friends, look forward with unbounded hope. My whole life has taught me what America means. I am indebted to my country beyond any human power to repay.
Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) American engineer, bureaucrat, US President (1929-33)
Letter to George Moses (14 Jun 1928)
When learning of his nomination for President; Moses was the chairman of the Republican National Convention.
I live my life in celebration and in praise of the life I’m living. What you focus on expands. The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. The more you complain, the more you find fault, the more misery and fault you will have to find.
Oprah Winfrey (b. 1954) American TV personality, actress
“Words of the Week,” Jet (27 Oct 1986)
(Source)
How much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only to what he does himself, that it may be just and pure.
[Ὅσην εὐσχολίαν κερδαίνει ὁ μὴ βλέπων τί ὁ πλησίον εἶπεν ἢ ἔπραξεν ἢ διενοήθη, ἀλλὰ μόνον τί αὐτὸς ποιεῖ, ἵνα αὐτὸ τοῦτο δίκαιον ᾖ καὶ ὅσιον ἢ † κατὰ τὸν ἀγαθὸν.]
Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 4, ch. 18 (4.18) (AD 161-180) [tr. Long (1862)]
(Source)
Original Greek. Alternate translations:How much time and leisure doth he gain, who is not curious to know what his neighbour hath said, or hath done, or hath attempted, but only what he doth himself, that it may be just and holy?
[tr. Casaubon (1634), #15]What a great deal of Time and Ease that Man gains who is not troubled with the Spirit of Curiosity: Who lets his Neighbor's Thoughts and Behavior alone, confines his Inspections to himself' And takes care of the Points of Honesty and Conscience.
[tr. Collier (1701)]What agreeable leisure does he procure to himself, who takes no no¬ tice what others say, do, or intend; but attends to this only, that his own actions be just and holy?
[tr. Hutcheson/Moor (1742)]How much time and leisure does that man gain, who is not curious to enquire what his neighbours say, or do, or think, but confines his whole attention to his own conduct, and is only solicitous to preserve that just and irreproachable.
[tr. Graves (1792)]What a great deal of time and ease that man gains who lets his neighbor's words, thoughts, and behavior alone, confines his inspections to himself, and takes care that his own actions are honest and righteous.
[tr. Collier/Zimmern (1887)]How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.
[tr. Morgan, in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1894)]How much valuable time may be gained by not looking at what some neighbor says or does or thinks, but only taking care that our own acts are just and holy.
[tr. Rendall (1898 ed.)]How much he gains in leisure who looks not to what his neighbours say, or do, or intend; but considers only how his own actions may be just and holy.
[tr. Hutcheson/Chrystal (1902)]What richness of leisure does he gain who has no eye for his neighbour's words or deeds or thoughts, but only for his own doings, that they be just and righteous!
[tr. Haines (Loeb) (1916)]How great a rest from labour he gains who does not look to what his neighbour says or does or thinks, but only to what he himself is doing, in order that exactly this may be just and holy, or in accord with a good man's conduct.
[tr. Farquharson (1944); he notes "The text is faulty and the sense obscure."]He who ignores what his neighbour is saying or doing or thinking, and cares only that his own actions should be just and godly, is greatly the gainer in time and ease.
[tr. Staniforth (1964)]What ease of mind he gains who casts no eye on what his neighbour says or does or thinks, but looks only to what he himself is doing, to ensure that his own action may be just, and holy, and good in every regard.
[tr. Hard (1997 ed.)]The tranquility that comes when you stop caring what they say. Or think, or do. Only what you do. (Is this fair? Is this the right thing to do?)
[tr. Hays (2003)]What ease of mind you gain from not looking at what your neighbour has said or done or thought, but only at your own actions, to make them just, reverential, imbued with good!
[tr. Hammond (2006)]What an abundance of leisure the person gains who is not looking over at what his neighbor is saying, doing, or thinking, but only at what he himself is doing, in order that he does what is just and respectful of the gods.
[tr. Needleman/Piazza (2008)]What ease of mind a person gains if he casts no eye on what his neighbour has said, done, or thought, but looks only to what he himself is doing, to ensure that his own action may be just, and holy, and good in every respect.
[tr. Hard (2011 ed.)]What ease of mind a person gains when he keeps his eye not on what his neighbor has said or done or thought but only on what he himself does, to ensure that it is just or holy or matches what a good person does.
[tr. Gill (2013)]
We must be something in order to do something, but we must also do something in order to be something. The best rule, I think, is this: If we find it hard to do good, then let us try to be good. If, on the other hand, we find it hard to be good, then let us try to do good. Being leads to doing, doing leads to being. Yet below both as their common root is faith, — faith in God, in man, in ourselves, in the eternal superiority of right over wrong, truth over error, good over evil, love over all selfishness and all sin.
James Freeman Clarke (1810-1888) American theologian and author
(Attributed)
Quoted in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895).
True religion invites us to become better people. False religion tells us that this has already occurred.
Abdal Hakim Murad (b. 1960) British Muslim shaykh, researcher, writer, academic [b. Timothy John Winter]
“Contentions 2,” #11
(Source)
“Be yourself!” is the worst advice you can give to some people.
Tom Masson (1866–1934) American anthropologist, editor, author, humorist [Thomas Lansing Masson]
(Attributed)
Self-made men are most alwus apt tew be a leetle too proud ov the job.
[Self-made men are almost always apt to be a little too proud of the job.]
Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax for 1873, “05 – May,” “Kold Slau” (1873)
(Source)
I had become a new person; and those who knew the old person laughed at me. The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor: he took my measure anew every time he saw me, whilst all the rest went in with their old measurements and expected them to fit me.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish playwright and critic
Man and Superman, ch. 1 (1903)
HAL: Presume not that I am the thing I was;
For God doth know — so shall the world perceive —
That I have turn’d away my former self.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Henry IV, Part 2, Act 5, sc. 5, l. 60ff (5.5.60-62) (c. 1598)
(Source)
Marriage is a step so grave and decisive that it attracts light-headed, variable men by its very awfulness. They have been so tried among the inconstant squalls and currents, so often sailed for islands in the air or lain becalmed with burning heart, that they will risk all for solid ground below their feet. Desperate pilots, they run their sea-sick, weary bark upon the dashing rocks. It seems as if marriage were the royal road through life, and realised, on the instant, what we have all dreamed on summer Sundays when the bells ring, or at night when we cannot sleep for the desire of living. They think it will sober and change them. Like those who join a brotherhood, they fancy it needs but an act to be out of the coil and clamour for ever. But this is a wile of the devil’s. To the end, spring winds will sow disquietude, passing faces leave a regret behind them, and the whole world keep calling and calling in their ears. For marriage is like life in this — that it is a field of battle, and not a bed of roses.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Essay (1876-08), “Virginibus Puerisque, Part 1,” Cornhill Magazine, Vol. 34
(Source)
Collected in Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers, ch. 1, part 1 (1881).
Life as a "bed of roses" is an old phrase, originating in 13th Century French literature, and popularized in English in Christopher Marlowe's poem (pub. 1599)), "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love."
Self-correction begins with self-knowledge.
[Principio es de corregirse el conocerse]
Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 69 (1647) [tr. Maurer (1992)]
(Source)
(Source (Spanish)). Alternate translations:The knowledge of one's self is the beginning of amendment.
[Flesher ed. (1685)]Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-improvement.
[tr. Jacobs (1892)]It is a first principle that in order to improve yourself, you must first know yourself.
[tr. Fischer (1937)]
There is no virtue which is final; all are initial. The virtues of society are the vices of the saint. The terror of reform is the discovery that we must cast away our virtues, or what we have always esteemed such, into the same pit that has consumed our grosser vices.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Essay (1841), “Circles,” Essays: First Series, No. 10
(Source)
The best reformers the world haz ever seen are thoze who commense on themselves.
[The best reformers the world has ever seen are those who commence on themselves.]
Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Everybody’s Friend, Or; Josh Billing’s Encyclopedia and Proverbial Philosophy of Wit and Humor, “Nosegays” (1874)
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Mary Schmich (b. 1953) American newspaper columnist
“Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young,” Chicago Tribune (1997-07-01)
(Source)
Often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, but no reference found in her works or contemporaneous sources (though see this Eleanor quote). Also attributed to Kurt Vonnegut and to Baz Luhrmann (who used the words in a song but credited them to Schmich).Related predecessors can be found in other quotations (Emerson (1841), Jane Addams (1880), Mark Toby), linked back to this one below. For more discussion about this quotation, see Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You – Quote Investigator®.
Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body: as by the one, health is preserved, strengthened and invigorated; by the other, virtue, which is the health of the mind, is kept alive, cherished and confirmed. But as exercise becomes tedious and painful when we make use of it only as the means of health, so reading is apt to grow uneasy and burdensome, when we apply ourselves to it only for our improvement in virtue. For this reason, the virtue which we gather from a sable, or an allegory, is like the health we get by hunting; as we are engaged in an agreeable pursuit that draws us on with pleasure, and makes us insensible of the fatigues that accompany it.
Richard Steele (1672-1729) Anglo-Irish writer, journalist, playwright, politician
Essay (1709-03-17), The Tatler, No. 147
(Source)
Remorse drives the weak to despair and the strong to sainthood.
[Die Reue treibt den Schwachen zur Verzweiflung und macht den Starken zum Heiligen.]
Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916) Austrian writer
Aphorisms [Aphorismen], No. 412 (1880) [tr. Scrase/Mieder (1994)]
Every man naturally persuades himself that he can keep his resolutions, nor is he convinced of his imbecility but by length of time and frequency of experiment. This opinion of our own constancy is so prevalent, that we always despise him who suffers his general and settled purpose to be overpowered by an occasional desire.
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Prayers and Meditations, 1770-06-01 (1785)
(Source)
I just finished with nine months of treatment for cancer. First they poison you, then they mutilate you, then they burn you. I’ve had more fun. And when it’s over, you’re so glad that you’re grateful to absolutely everyone. And I am. The trouble is, I’m not a better person. I was in great hopes that confronting my own mortality would make me deeper, more thoughtful. Many lovely people sent books on how to find a more spiritual meaning in life. My response was, “Oh, hell, I can’t go on a spiritual journey — I’m constipated.”
Molly Ivins (1944-2007) American writer, political columnist [Mary Tyler Ivins]
“Cancer, II” The Progressive (Oct 2000)
In a similar vein, Ivins wrote in "Who Needs Breasts, Anyway?", Time (18 Feb 2002): "Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun. First they mutilate you; then they poison you; then they burn you. I have been on blind dates better than that."
Fortunate people seldom mend their ways, for when good luck crowns their misdeeds with success they think it is because they are right.
[Les gens heureux ne se corrigent guère; ils croient toujours avoir raison quand la fortune soutient leur mauvaise conduite.]
François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶227 (1665-1678) [tr. Tancock (1959)]
(Source)
First appeared in the 5th Edition (1678).
(Source (French)). Other translations:Prosperous Persons seldom mend much; they always think themselves in the right, so long as Fortune approves their ill Conduct.
[tr. Stanhope (1694), ¶102]Fortunate people never correct themselves. They always fancy they are in the right as long as fortune supports their ill conduct.
[ed. Gowens (1851), ¶376]Lucky people are bad hands at correcting their faults; they always believe that they are right when fortune backs up their vice or folly.
[tr. Bund/Friswell (1871), ¶227]Happy people rarely correct their faults; they consider themselves vindicated, since fortune endorses their evil ways.
[tr. Heard (1917), ¶373]Lucky people scarcely ever correct their faults; they always believe that they have acted rightly if fortune has smiled on their evil ways.
[tr. FitzGibbon (1957), ¶227]Lucky men seldom mend their ways; they always feel in the right so long as luck favors their ill behavior.
[tr. Kronenberger (1959), ¶227]Prosperous people hardly ever rectify their faults: for while Fortune lends her support to their bad conduct, they always believe themselves to be in the right.
[tr. Whichello (2016) ¶227]
Learning makes a Man fit Company for himself.
Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Gnomologia: Adages and Proverbs (compiler), # 3163 (1732)
(Source)
If your religion does not change you, then you had better change your religion.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
One Thousand & One Epigrams (1911)
(Source)
There is an idea abroad among moral people that they should make their neighbors good. One person I have to make good: myself.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Essay (1888-12), “A Christmas Sermon,” sec. 2, Scribner’s Magazine, Vol. 4
(Source)
Originally written in the winter of 1887-88. Collected in Across the Plains, ch. 12 (1892).
Do not consider yourself to have made any spiritual progress unless you account yourself the least of all men.
[Non reputes te aliquid profecisse, nisi omnibus te inferiorem esse sentias.]
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380-1471) German-Dutch priest, author
The Imitation of Christ [De Imitatione Christi], Book 2, ch. 2, v. 4 (2.2.4) (c. 1418-27) [tr. Sherley-Price (1952)]
(Source)
(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:Moreover, if thou wilt come to the highness of perfection, think not thyself to have profited anything in virtue, till thou canst feel meekly in thy heart that thou hast less meekness and less virtue than hath any other.
[tr. Whitford/Raynal (1530/1871)]Moreover, if you will come to the height of perfection, do not think that you have advanced in virtue until you can feel humbly in your heart that you have less humility and less virtue than anyone else.
[tr. Whitford/Gardiner (1530/1955)]Think not that thou hast profited any thing at all, unlesse thou hast learnt to esteem thy selfe inferiour unto all.
[tr. Page (1639), 2.2.11]No Man ought to esteem himself a Proficient in Goodness, who is not yet arrived to that Pitch of it, which teaches him to think himself the least of all Saints and last of all Men.
[tr. Stanhope (1696; 1706 ed.)]Do not think that thou hast made any progress towards perfection, till thou feelest, that thou art less than the least of all human beings.
[tr. Payne (1803)]Do not think that thou hast made any progress, unless thou esteem thyself inferior to all.
[ed. Parker (1841)]Do not think that thou hast made any progress towards perfection, till thou feelest that thou art "less than the least of all" human beings.
[tr. Dibdin (1851)]Never think thou hast made any progress till thou feel thyself inferior to all.
[ed. Bagster (1860)]Reckon not thyself to have profited in anywise unless thou feel thyself to be inferior to all.
[tr. Benham (1874)]Do not think that thou hast made any progress, unless thou esteem thyself inferior to all.
[tr. Anon. (1901)]Hence, you must not think that you have made any progress until you look upon yourself as inferior to all others.
[tr. Croft/Bolton (1940)]Consider yourself not to have made any progress unless you feel yourself inferior to all men.
[tr. Daplyn (1952)]Never think that you have made any progress, till you have learned to regard all men as your betters.
[tr. Knox-Oakley (1959)]Only when you think yourself of less importance than everybody else may you consider that you have made some progress.
[tr. Knott (1962)]Consider that you have made no progress at all until you recognize that you are lower than everybody else.
[tr. Rooney (1979)]Do not think you have made any progress unless you feel truly humble before God and others.
[tr. Creasy (1989)]
Do not worry about what others are doing. Each of us should turn the searchlight inward and purify his or her own heart as much as possible.
Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, political ethicist [Mahatma Gandhi]
Speech, All-India Radio (1948-01-16)
(Source)
Two weeks before his death. In Louis Fischer, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi, Part 3, ch. 9 "The Last Fast" (1957).
Strive to be patient; bear with the faults and frailties of others, for you, too, have many faults which others have to bear. If you cannot mould yourself as you would wish, how can you expect other people to be entirely to your liking?
[Stude patiens esse in tolerando aliorum defectus, et qualescumque infirmitates, quia et tu multa habes, quæ ab aliis oportet tolerari. Si non potes te talem facere qualem vis, quomodo poteris alium habere ad beneplacitum tuum?]
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380-1471) German-Dutch priest, author
The Imitation of Christ [De Imitatione Christi], Book 1, ch. 16, v. 2 (1.16.2) (c. 1418-27) [tr. Sherley-Price (1952)]
(Source)
(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:Study always that thou mayest be patient in suffering of other men’s defaults, for thou hast many things in thee that others do suffer of thee: and if thou canst not make thyself to be as thou wouldst, how mayest thou then look to have another to be ordered in all things after thy will?
[tr. Whitford/Raynal (1530/1871)]Study always to be patient in bearing other men's defects, for you have many in yourself that others suffer from you, and if you cannot make yourself be as you would, how may you then look to have another regulated in all things to suit your will?
[tr. Whitford/Gardiner (1530/1955)]Endeavour thy selfe patiently to bear with any faults and infirmities of others, for that thou thy selfe hast many things that must be borne withall by others. If thou canst not make thy selfe such a one as thou wouldst be, how canst thou expect to have another to thy liking in all things?
[tr. Page (1639), 1.16.6-7]Remember, that You also have many Failings of your own, by which the Patience of other People will have its turn of being exercised. And if you do (as certainly you cannot but) see this, think how unreasonable it is, to expect you should make others in all particulars, what you would have them to be; when you cannot so much as make your self, what you are sensible you ought to be.
[tr. Stanhope (1696; 1706 ed.)]Endeavor, to be always patient of the faults and imperfections of others; for thou haft many faults and imperfections of thy own, that require a reciprocation of forbearance. If thou art not able to make thyself that which thou wishest to be, how canst thou expect to mould another in conformity to thy will?
[tr. Payne (1803), 1.16.3]Endeavour to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others, of what sort soever they be; for that thyself also hast many [failings] which must be borne with by others. If thou canst not make thyself such an one as thou wouldest, how canst thou expect to have another in all things to thy liking?
[ed. Parker (1841)]Endeavour to be always patient of the faults and imperfections of others, whatever they may be; for thou hast many faults and imperfection of thy own, that require forbearance from others. If thou art not able to make thyself that which thou wishest to be, how canst thou expect to mould another in conformity to thy will?
[tr. Dibdin (1851)]Endeavour to be patient in bearing with defects and infirmities in others, of what kind soever; because thou also hast many things which others must bear with. If thou canst not make thyself such as thou wouldst, how canst thou expect to have another according to thy liking?
[ed. Bagster (1860)]Endeavour to be patient in bearing with other men’s faults and infirmities whatsoever they be, for thou thyself also hast many things which have need to be borne with by others. If thou canst not make thine own self what thou desireth, how shalt thou be able to fashion another to thine own liking.
[tr. Benham (1874)]Endeavour to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others, of what sort soever they be; for that thyself also hast many failings which must be borne with by others. If thou canst not make thyself such an one as thou wouldst, how canst thou expect to have another in all things to thy liking?
[tr. Anon. (1901)]Try to bear patiently with the defects and infirmities of others, whatever they may be, because you also have many a fault which others must endure. If you cannot make yourself what you would wish to be, how can you bend others to your will?
[tr. Croft/Bolton (1940)]Try to be patient in bearing with others’ failings and all kinds of weaknesses, for you too have many which must be put up with by others. If you cannot mould yourself exactly as you would, how can you get another to be satisfying to you?
[tr. Daplyn (1952)]Yes, you do well to cultivate patience in putting up with the shortcomings, the various disabilities of other people; only think how much they have to put up with in you! When you make such a failure of organizing your own life, how can you expect everybody else to come up to your own standards?
[tr. Knox-Oakley (1959)]Try to be patient in bearing with the failings and weaknesses of other people, whatever they may be. You too have many faults, which others have to endure. If you cannot make yourself the kind of person you wish, how can you expect to have someone else to your liking?
[tr. Knott (1962)]Seek always to be tolerant of the shortcomings and failings of others. They also have much to tolerate in you. If you are unable to mould yourself as you wish, how can you expect others to conform to your liking?
[tr. Rooney (1979)]Take pains to be patient in bearing all the faults and weaknesses of others, for you too have many flaws that others must put up with. If you cannot make yourself as you would like to be, how can you expect to have another person entirely to your liking?
[tr. Creasy (1989)]
Failure: A man who has blundered but is not able to cash in on the experience.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
The Roycroft Dictionary (1914)
(Source)
Self-criticism is the secret weapon of democracy.
Adlai Stevenson (1900–1965) American diplomat, statesman
Speech (1952-07-21), Welcoming Address, Democratic National Convention, International Amphitheatre, Chicago
(Source)
Stevenson, who was not a declared candidate, gave the convention welcoming address as Governor of Illinois. He was later nominated for President.
Bear patiently with the Defects of others, and labour to amend thy own.
Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 389 (1725)
(Source)
I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher and writer
Walden; or, Life in the Woods, ch. 1 “Economy” (1854)
(Source)
man’s life is interesting primarily when he has failed — I well know. For it’s a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929) French statesman, physician, journalist
Conversation wth Jean Martet (1 Jun 1928)
In J. Martet, Clemenceau, The Events of His Life as Told by Himself to His Former Secretary, Jean Martet, ch. 30 (1930) [tr. M. Waldman]
The church is always trying to get other people to reform; it might not be a bad idea to reform itself a little, by way of example.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
A Tramp Abroad (1880)
We try to make virtues of the faults we do not wish to correct.
[Nous essayons de nous faire honneur des défauts que nous ne voulons pas corriger.]
François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶442 (1665-1678) [tr. Kronenberger (1959)]
(Source)
First appeared in the 5th (1678) edition.
(Source (French)). Other translations:We attempt to Vindicate, and value our selves upon those Faults we have no design to mend.
[tr. Stanhope (1694), ¶2.30; (1706 ed.), ¶442]We endeavour to get reputation by those faults we determine not to amend.
[pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶138; ed. Carvill (1835), ¶122]We endeavor to make a merit of faults that we are unwilling to correct.
[ed. Gowens (1851), ¶467]We try to make a virtue of vices we are loth to correct.
[tr. Bund/Friswell (1871), ¶442]We boast the faults we are unwilling to correct.
[tr. Heard (1917), ¶464]We endeavour to take pride in faults that we would rather not correct.
[tr. Stevens (1939), ¶442]We try to glory in those failings which we are unwilling to correct.
[tr. FitzGibbon (1957), ¶442]We try to make virtues out of the faults we have no wish to correct.
[tr. Tancock (1959), ¶442]We try to make a merit of those of our faults which we do not wish to correct.
[tr. Whichello (2016) ¶442]
IAGO: Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Othello, Act 1, sc. 3, l. 362ff (1.3.362-363) (1603)
(Source)
I used to believe that marriage would diminish me, reduce my options. That you had to be someone less to live with someone else when, of course, you have to be someone more.
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
Time Must Have a Stop (1944)
We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.
Carlos Castañeda (1931-1999) Peruvian-American writer, mystic, anthropologist
The Teachings of Don Juan (1968)
Also attributed to Journey to Ixtlan (1972).
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher
Nicomachean Ethics [Ἠθικὰ Νικομάχεια] (c. 325 BC) (paraphrase)
(Source)
Variants:Not actually Aristotle, but a summary by Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers (1926), ch. 2 "Aristotle and Greek Science," sec. 7 "Ethics and the Nature of Happiness" (1926):
- "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
- "We are what we repeatedly do, therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit."
Excellence is an art won by training and habituation: we do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have these because we have acted rightly; "these virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions"; we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit: "the good of man is a working of the soul in the way of excellence in a complete life ... for as it is not one swallow or one fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy."
The quoted phrases are from the Nicomachean Ethics, Book 2, ch. 4; Book 1, ch. 7.
