Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
The idea of what the public will think prevents the public from ever thinking at all, and acts as a spell on the exercise of private judgment.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Public opinion can cloud individual judgment and hinder independent thinking.
This quote highlights the detrimental effect that the fear of public perception can have on personal judgment. Hazlitt suggests that individuals often conform to societal expectations and opinions, which stifles true thinking and hinders people from exercising their own thoughts and beliefs. It underscores the importance of valuing personal conviction over external validation.
Themes
Public OpinionJudgmentThinkingSocietyIndividuality
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social media's impact on personal expression.
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.
William HazlittRead
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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