I always do the first line well, but I have trouble doing the others.
MoliereRead
Esteem must be founded on preference: to hold everyone in high esteem is to esteem nothing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True esteem comes from valuing certain individuals over others; universal esteem lacks depth.
In this quote, Moliere suggests that genuine esteem requires discernment and preference. If one attempts to hold everyone in equal high regard, the value of that esteem diminishes, as it lacks specificity and meaning. Esteem is deeper when it reflects personal values and preferences, allowing for a richer appreciation of individuals and their unique qualities.
Themes
EsteemPreferenceValueRelationshipsDiscernment
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of valuing relationships, one could use this quote to highlight meaningful connections.
More from Moliere
All quotes →Beauty without intelligence is like a hook without bait.
MoliereRead
Betrayed and wronged in everything, I’ll flee this bitter world where vice is king, And seek some spot unpeopled and apart Where I’ll be free to have an honest heart. - Molière, The Misanthrope
MoliereRead
Long is the road from conception to completion.
MoliereRead
Oh, I may be devout, but I am human all the same.
MoliereRead
Hypocrisy is a fashionable vice, and all fashionable vices pass for virtue.
MoliereRead
Similar quotes
It's totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race - to despise an entire nation - to vilify an entire religion.
Stan LeeRead
I think that people in the Bible Belt are far less monolithically religious than many people imagine. There are lots and lots of people who are free-thinking, secularists, or atheists in the so-called Bible Belt.
Richard DawkinsRead
That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.
Charles SpurgeonRead
Recently my fingers have developed a prejudice against comparatives. They all follow this pattern: a squirrel is smaller than a tree; a bird is more musical than a tree. Each of us is the strongest one in his or her own skin. Characteristics should take off their hats to one another, instead of spitting in each other's faces.
Bertolt BrechtRead
The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
AristotleRead
Worthless is the nation that does not gladly stake its all on its honor.
Friedrich SchillerRead