The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic and self-complacent is erroneous; on the contrary it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant and kind.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
When I was young I had an elderly friend who used often to ask me to stay with him in the country. He was a religious man and he read prayers to the assembled household every morning. But he had crossed out in pencil all the passages that praised God. He said that there was nothing so vulgar as to praise people to their faces and, himself a gentleman, he could not believe that God was so ungentlemanly as to like it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that expressing praise can be seen as insincere and that true appreciation does not require public acknowledgment.
In this quote, W. Somerset Maugham reflects on the complexity of expressing reverence or praise, highlighting the perspective of an elderly friend who, despite being religious, believed that praising God openly was unrefined. The friend posited that genuine respect should be private and understated, questioning the virtue of overt admiration. This perspective invites readers to consider the authenticity of praises and the nature of relationships with the divine or with others, emphasizing a more nuanced understanding of reverence and humility.
Themes
PraiseHumilityReligionAuthenticityRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophical debate on the importance of humility in leadership.
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