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If each of us were to confess his most secret desire, the one that inspires all his plans, all his actions, he would say: "I want to be praised."
Emile M. Cioran
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote suggests that at our core, we all seek validation and acknowledgment for our actions and aspirations.

Cioran's quote delves into the fundamental human desire for recognition. It implies that beneath our various ambitions and endeavors lies a universal yearning for praise and affirmation from others. This reflects a deeper psychological insight into human behavior, suggesting that our motivations are often driven by the need for external approval, shaping our actions and aspirations.

Themes

PraiseDesireValidationAcknowledgmentAspiration

In practice

Example use cases

During a motivational speech to highlight the importance of recognition in teamwork.

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It is not worth the bother of killing yourself, since you always kill yourself too late.
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