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People are more slanderous from vanity than from malice.
Francois De La Rochefoucauld
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Interpretation

What this quote means

People often speak ill of others out of pride rather than out of genuine hostility.

This quote suggests that individuals tend to criticize others not necessarily out of a malicious intent but rather from a place of vanity and self-importance. It highlights the human tendency to belittle others to elevate one's own status or image, indicating that our motivations in discussing others can be deeply rooted in our own insecurities and ego rather than honest dislike.

Themes

VanitySlanderMaliceCriticismEgo

In practice

Example use cases

Use this quote to discuss the nature of gossip during a social gathering.

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The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind, and they are in continual danger of breaking the skin and bursting out again.
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To understand matters rightly we should understand their details; and as that knowledge is almost infinite, our knowledge is always superficial and imperfect.
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