Marcus Aurelius Quotes

Those who are believed to be most abject and humble are usually most ambitious and envious.

People generally despise where they flatter, and cringe to those they would gladly overtop; so that truth and ceremony are two things.

When you are growing up, everyone will help you. When you reach the top, everyone will start pulling you down. The same people who help you will be the same people who try to pull you down.

As soon as there was two there was pride.

When people talk, they lay lines on each other, do a lot of role playing, sidestep, shilly-shally and engage in all manner of vagueness and innuendo. We do this and expect others to do it, yet at the same time we profess to long for the plain truth, for people to say what they mean, simple as that. Such hypocrisy is a human universal.

Folks don't like to have somebody around knowing more than they do.

I think envy motivates a lot of people.

He who says he hates every kind of flattery, and says it in earnest, certainly does not yet know every kind of flattery.

I think it's in human nature to want to have more, to compete with the other and, at some level, to be dissatisfied if someone else has more than you.

Knavery and flattery are blood relations.

Pride works frequently under a dense mask, and will often assume the garb of humility.

What hypocrites we seem to be whenever we talk of ourselves! Our words sound so humble, while our hearts are so proud.

Many kiss the hand they wish cut off.

The world of this is a load of crap. You get all these bloody people, so incredibly sycophantic.

Whenever he met a great man he groveled before him, and my-lorded him as only a freeborn Briton can do.

Such is human nature, in the gigantic intellect, the envious temper, the ravenous ambition, and the rotten heart of Daniel Webster.

Those are most desirous of honor and glory who cry out the loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the world.

Obsequiousness begets friends, truth hatred.

People are always trying to be on top. And not always with a macabre agenda, but I think that people are desperately trying to remain in control, rather than being honest.

Men are more ready to offend one who desires to be beloved than one who wishes to be feared.

Men sometimes think they hate flattery, but they hate only the manner of flattering.

The vanity of others runs counter to our taste only when it runs counter to our vanity.

The praise we give to new comers into the world arises from the envy we bear to those who are established.

All men seek esteem; the best by lifting themselves, which is hard to do, the rest by shoving others down, which is much easier.

The defect of equality is that we desire it only with our superiors.