There is very little moral mixture in the 'Antislavery' feeling of this country. A great deal is abstract philanthropy; part is hatred of slaveholders; a great part is jealousy for white labor, very little is consciousness of wrong done and the wish to right it.
Reputation is favorable notoriety as distinguished from fame, which is permanent approval of great deeds and noble thoughts by the best intelligence of mankind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Reputation is about how others view us based on our actions, while fame is the lasting recognition for significant accomplishments.
This quote by George William Curtis highlights the distinction between reputation and fame. Reputation refers to the perception of an individual based on their actions and the impressions they leave on others, emphasizing that it is favorable notoriety. In contrast, fame is depicted as a more enduring recognition, tied to noteworthy achievements and moral integrity, validated by the collective judgment of the best minds in society. Curtis prompts us to reflect on how our actions contribute to our reputation while also recognizing the deeper, lasting impact of our more significant deeds.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of personal integrity in leadership, one might say, 'As George William Curtis said, 'Reputation is favorable notoriety...'
More from George William Curtis
All quotes βI think that to have known one good, old man-one man, who, through the chances and mischances of a long life, has carried his heart in his hand, like a palm-branch, waving all discords into peace-helps our faith in God, in ourselves, and in each other more than many sermons
The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.
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...Americans...automatically equate dissension with disloyalty. They view any criticism of our existing social, economic, and political forms, as sedition and subversion. ...(" The growing reluctance of Americans to criticize, and their increasing tendency to condemn those who, in ever dwindling numbers, will still voice dissent") is disturbing, deplorable, and truly dangerous.