The generality of virtuous women are like hidden treasures, they are safe only because nobody has sought after them.
Francois De La RochefoucauldRead
People are more slanderous from vanity than from malice.
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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