Jacques Barzun Quotes

Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us.

Vanity is a confounded donkey, very apt to put his head between his legs, and chuck us over; but pride is a fine horse, that will carry us over the ground, and enable us to distance our fellow-travelers.

Vanity is great motivation, to be fair.

I have a lot of vanity.

Every one thinks highly of his own

Vanity is a mortgage that must be deducted from the value of a man.

There is no folly of which a man who is not a fool cannot get rid except vanity; of this nothing cures a man except experience of its bad consequences, if indeed anything can cure it.

Clearly I've got an ego.

Egotism: The art of seeing in yourself what others cannot see.

My ego is sated.

I stare at myself in the mirror and I think, 'Wow, I'm really great-looking.'... I think I'm the greatest, anyway.

We can bear to be deprived of everything but our self-conceit.

I have been vain since birth.

My pain threshold is quite high when it comes to vanity.

Vanity can apply to both insecurity and egotism.

Narcissism is just self-confidence.

Vanity is not important to me.

I'm vain.

In a vain man, the smallest spark may kindle into the greatest flame, because the materials are always prepared for it.

For, to conceited men, all other men are admirers.

Conceit is lovable and unconcealed ; vanity is supreme selfishness, usually hidden.

Vanity well fed is benevolent. Vanity hungry is spiteful.

Conceit is thinking you're great; egotism is knowing it.

If vanity does not entirely overthrow the virtues, at least it makes them all totter.

Pride differs in many things from vanity, and by gradations that never blend, although they may be somewhat indistinguishable. Pride may perhaps be termed a too high opinion of ourselves founded on the overrating of certain qualities that we do actually possess; whereas vanity is more easily satisfied, and can extract a feeling of self-complacency from qualifications that are imaginary.