Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the love of ourselves.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True liberty involves caring for others, while a desire for power often stems from self-interest.
This quote by William Hazlitt emphasizes the distinction between two types of love: the love of liberty that fosters a spirit of community and care for others, and the love of power that is rooted in self-serving motives. Hazlitt suggests that genuine freedom is inherently linked to compassion and a concern for the well-being of others, while the pursuit of power can lead to selfishness and a lack of empathy.
Themes
LibertyLovePowerSelflessnessCommunity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about social justice, one might use the quote to highlight the importance of selfless love.
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.
William HazlittRead
We can bear to be deprived of everything but our self-conceit.
William HazlittRead
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.
William HazlittRead
Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.
William HazlittRead
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