Wit is more necessary than beauty; and I think no young woman ugly that has it, and no handsome woman agreeable without it.
William WycherleyRead
I weigh the man, not his title; 'tis not the king's stamp can make the metal better.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A person's worth is determined by their character, not their social status or title.
This quote emphasizes the idea that true value and integrity of an individual are independent of their social standing or titles they may hold. Rather than being impressed by a person's status, we should focus on their qualities, actions, and character, since superficial labels do not enhance one's true nature or worth.
Themes
CharacterWorthIntegrityStatusValue
In practice
Example use cases
During a leadership seminar, to remind participants that titles do not define their capabilities.
More from William Wycherley
All quotes βSimilar quotes
Ethics is in its unqualified form extended responsibility with regard to everything that has life.
Albert SchweitzerRead
I wasted time, and now doth time waste me; For now hath time made me his numbering clock: My thoughts are minutes; and with sighs they jar Their watches on unto mine eyes, the outward watch, Whereto my finger, like a dial's point, Is pointing still, in cleansing them from tears. Now sir, the sound that tells what hour it is Are clamorous goans, which strike upon my heart, Which is the bell: so sighs and tears and groans Show minutes, times, and hours.
William ShakespeareRead
What is the ideal for mental health, then? A lived, compelling illusion that does not lie about life, death, and reality; one honest enough to follow its own commandments: I mean, not to kill, not to take the lives of others to justify itself.
Ernest BeckerRead
Agnosticism is epistemologically self-contradictory on its own assumptions because its claim to make no assertion about ultimate reality rests upon a most comprehensive assertion about ultimate reality.
Cornelius Van TilRead
What a triumph for the advocates of despotism to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves, and that systems founded on the basis of equal liberty are merely ideal and fallacious.
George WashingtonRead
If we lived in a state where virtue was profitable, common sense would make us saintly. But since we see that avarice, anger, pride and stupidity commonly profit far beyond charity, modesty, justice and thought, perhaps we must stand fast a little, even at the risk of being heroes.
Thomas MoreRead