August 25
Often no one would do good if he did not think of the esteem that follows it. Our virtues are frequently only self-interest in disguise — vanity follows quietly behind them.
Maxims (freely rendered)
Listening mode
Often no one would do good if he did not think of the esteem that follows it. Our virtues are frequently only self-interest in disguise — vanity follows quietly behind them.
You quietly correct a mistake in a colleague's work before anyone else notices it, and you don't mention it. It feels good precisely because no one knows. Later you catch yourself picturing a small scene: he finds out after all, at some point, and is taken aback.
So vanity doesn't necessarily need an audience. One spectator is enough, and that spectator is you. Modesty can be enjoyed this way too, perhaps especially thoroughly, because it is so hard for you to find fault with it.
It makes no difference to the report. The mistake is gone, the figures add up, and your colleague has a quieter morning. Your motive can't be read from his morning. It concerns mainly you.
Even suspicion of yourself has something flattering about it. It makes you the one who isn't fooled, who sees through your own intentions. Somewhere behind that gaze someone is standing again, watching with satisfaction how precisely you see through yourself.
