Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
Familiarity confounds all traits of distinction; interest and prejudice take away the power of judging.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Familiarity can blur our ability to judge things clearly due to preconceptions and biases.
William Hazlitt's quote highlights how becoming too familiar with someone or something can obscure our perceptions, making it difficult to see their true traits. When we are influenced by prior knowledge or biases, our judgments can become clouded and less objective, leading to a misunderstanding of the subject at hand.
Themes
FamiliarityJudgmentPrejudicePerceptionBias
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a discussion on relationships to emphasize how familiarity can affect perceptions.
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.
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Our repugnance to death increases in proportion to our consciousness of having lived in vain.
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We can bear to be deprived of everything but our self-conceit.
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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.
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Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.
William HazlittRead
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