Famous Quotes | Men are apt to mistake, or at...

Men are apt to mistake, or at least to seem to mistake, their own talents, in hopes, perhaps, of misleading others to allow them that which they are conscious they do not possess. Thus lord Hardwicke valued himself more upon being a great minister of state, which he certainly was not, than upon being a great magistrate, which he certainly was. - Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield
Attribution: Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773), British statesman, man of letters. Characters of Chesterfield, 1778, repr. Augustan Reprint Society, nos. 259-260, p. 45, University of California, Los Angeles (1990). Character of Lord Hardwicke (1690-1764), Lord Chancellor of Britain from 1737 to 1756.

Categories: Man Of Letters, Pride, Reputation, Self-knowledge, Statesman

Dictionary Tip:

Lookup any word on eNotes with our dictionary. Highlight the word and press SHIFT + D for a definition, or SHIFT + T for a synonym.