It may easily come to pass that a vain man may become proud and imagine himself pleasing to all when he is in reality a universal nuisance.
None are more taken in by flattery than the proud, who wish to be the first and are not.
- Topic: Self
- Photo: Jeffrey Benjamin
More Quotes from Benedict Spinoza
Nothing exists from whose nature some effect does not follow.
Man is a social animal.
Desire is the essence of a man.
He whose honor depends on the opinion of the mob must day by day strive with the greatest anxiety, act and scheme in order to retain his reputation. For the mob is varied and inconsistent, and therefore if a reputation is not carefully preserved it dies quickly.
Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear.
More on Self
Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.
At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
I define love thus: The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.
The individual is not accountable to society for his actions, insofar as these concern the interests of no person but himself.
The whole universe is contained within a single human being—you.
Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility in the realm of faith and morals.
If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your own integrity. If you need a witness, be your own.
No one can draw more out of things, books included, than he already knows. A man has no ears for that to which experience has given him no access.
No man is born unto himself alone; who lives unto himself, he lives to none.