Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
William HazlittRead
It is well there is no one without fault; for he would not have a friend in the world. He would seem to belong to s different species.
Interpretation
Everyone has faults, and it's our imperfections that allow us to connect with others.
William Hazlittβs quote highlights the universality of human flaws, suggesting that without these imperfections, one would feel isolated and unable to form genuine friendships. It underscores the idea that our shared vulnerabilities and shortcomings form the basis of authentic human connections, reminding us that it is our faults that make us relatable and human.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of empathy, one could use this quote to emphasize that everyone has flaws.
Pride is founded not on the sense of happiness, but on the sense of power.
The world loves to be amused by hollow professions, to be deceived by flattering appearances, to live in a state of hallucination; and can forgive everything but the plain, downright, simple, honest truth.
Our repugnance to death increases in proportion to our consciousness of having lived in vain.
We can bear to be deprived of everything but our self-conceit.
There are few things in which we deceive ourselves more than in the esteem we profess to entertain for our firends. It is little better than a piece of quackery. The truth is, we think of them as we please, that is, as they please or displease us.
Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it.
I have had friends who have acted kindly towards me, and it has been my good fortune to have it in my power to give them substantial proofs of my gratitude.
Between friends differences in taste or opinion are irritating in direct proportion to their triviality.
This group had a kind of dark glamour within the castle. They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty.
Martin is your best friend, isn't he?' a sweet and well-intentioned girl once said when both of us were present: it was the only time I ever felt awkward about this precious idea, which seemed somehow to risk diminishment if it were uttered aloud.
I remembered this one time that I never told anybody about. The time we were walking. Just the three of us. I was in the middle. I don't remember where we were walking to or where we were walking from. I just remember the season. I just remember walking between them and feeling for the first time that I belonged somewhere
When somebody shares, everybody wins.
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