Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.
ChanakyaRead
The man who is praised by others is regarded as worthy though he may be really void of all merit. But the man who sings his own praises becomes disgraced though he should be Indra, the possessor of all excellencies.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Praise from others holds more value than self-praise, which can lead to disgrace.
This quote by Chanakya highlights the importance of humility and the perception of merit. It suggests that true worth is recognized by the acknowledgment of others rather than by self-advocacy, which can often be perceived as arrogance or vanity, leading to social disapproval even if one has legitimate virtues.
Themes
PraiseHumilityMeritArroganceRecognition
In practice
Example use cases
During a performance review, a manager might refer to this quote to emphasize the importance of team commendations over self-promotion.
More from Chanakya
All quotes →Let not a single day pass without your learning a verse, half a verse, or a fourth of it, or even one letter of it; nor without attending to charity, study and other pious activity.
ChanakyaRead
The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers its rear end, nor protects it from the bites of insects.
ChanakyaRead
The serpent, the king, the tiger, the stinging wasp, the small child, the dog owned by other people, and the fool: these seven ought not to be awakened from sleep.
ChanakyaRead
Whoever imposes severe punishment becomes repulsive to the people; while he who awards mild punishment becomes contemptible. But whoever imposes punishment as deserved becomes respectable.
ChanakyaRead
One whose knowledge is confined to books and whose wealth is in the possession of others, can use neither his knowledge nor wealth when the need for them arises.
ChanakyaRead
Similar quotes
Don't talk about what you have done or what you are going to do.
Thomas JeffersonRead
The merit of originality is not novelty; it is sincerity. The believing man is the original man; whatsoever he believes, he believes it for himself, not for another.
Thomas CarlyleRead
A good lawyer knows how to shut up when he's won his case.
Alan DershowitzRead
But their intervention makes our acts to serve ever less merely the immediate claims of our instincts.
Albert EinsteinRead
The most dangerous of all behaviors may consist of doing things 'because we're supposed to.
Marshall B. RosenbergRead
But there isn't any second half of myself waiting to plug in and make me whole. It's there. I'm already whole.
Sally FieldRead