Men take on the nature and the habits and the power of thought of those with whom they associate in a spirit of sympathy and harmony.
Napoleon HillRead
Close friends and relatives, while not meaning to do so, often handicap on through 'opinions' and sometimes though ridicule, which is meant to be humorous. Thousands of men and women carry inferiority complexes with them all through life, because some well-meaning, but ignorant person destroyed their confidence through opinions or ridicule
Interpretation
What this quote means
People often undermine others' confidence with their opinions and jokes, unintentionally causing lasting emotional harm.
In this quote, Napoleon Hill highlights the detrimental impact of unsolicited opinions and humor on individuals' self-esteem. He emphasizes that close friends and family, although well-meaning, can inadvertently inflict emotional wounds through ridicule or negative feedback, leading to long-lasting inferiority complexes that may hinder personal development throughout life.
Themes
ConfidenceRidiculeOpinionsSelf-EsteemRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
In a support group discussion about self-confidence issues.
More from Napoleon Hill
All quotes →Nature yields her most profound secrets to the person who is determined to uncover them.
Napoleon HillRead
Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.
Napoleon HillRead
One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.
Napoleon HillRead
Let nobody bribe you away from being yourself.
Napoleon HillRead
Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to cut all sources of retreat. Only by doing so can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a burning desire to win - essential to success.
Napoleon HillRead
Similar quotes
So much of politics is about people's relationships with themselves. You do better if you make people feel secure in who they are.
Pete ButtigiegRead
When I got my first TV set, I stopped caring so much about having close relationships with other people.
Andy WarholRead
The provision of basic material needs is not sufficient to make minority groups and indigenous peoples feel they are truly part of the greater national entity. For that they have to be confident that they too have an active role to play in shaping the destiny of the state that demands their allegiance.
Aung San Suu KyiRead
Marriage is like a temple resting on two pillars. If they come too close to each other the temple will collapse.
Khalil GibranRead
She had tricked him. She had made him leave his old self behind and come into her world, and then before he was really at home in it but too late to go back, she had left him stranded there--like an astronaut wandering about on the moon. Alone.
Katherine PatersonRead
We have to consciously study how to be tender with each other until it becomes a habit because what was native has been stolen from us, the love of Black women for each other.
Audre LordeRead