Surely, sir,
There's in him stuff that puts him to these ends;
For, being not propped by ancestry, whose grace
Chalks successors their way, nor called upon
For high feats done to th' crown, neither allied
To eminent assistants, but spiderlike
Out of his self-drawing web, 'a gives us note,
The force of his own merit makes his way,
A gift that heaven gives for him, which buys
A place next to the king.
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The world rewards the appearance of merit oftener than merit
itself.
[Fr., Le monde recompense plus souvent les read more
The world rewards the appearance of merit oftener than merit
itself.
[Fr., Le monde recompense plus souvent les apparences de merite
que le merite meme.]
The same principle leads us to neglect a man of merit that
induces us to admire a fool.
read more
The same principle leads us to neglect a man of merit that
induces us to admire a fool.
[Fr., Du meme fonds dont on neglige un homme de merite l'on sait
encore admirer un sot.]
By merit raised
To that bad eminence.
By merit raised
To that bad eminence.
The favor of princes does not preclude the existence of merit,
and yet does not prove that it exists.
read more
The favor of princes does not preclude the existence of merit,
and yet does not prove that it exists.
[Fr., La faveur des princes n'exclut pas le merite, et ne le
suppose pas aussi.]
On their own merits modest men are dumb.
On their own merits modest men are dumb.
Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded
Merit is much more cheaply acknowledged than rewarded
Speak little and well if you wish to be esteemed a person of merit.
Speak little and well if you wish to be esteemed a person of merit.
The sufficiency of merit is to know that my merit is not
sufficient.
The sufficiency of merit is to know that my merit is not
sufficient.
We start with gifts. Merit comes from what we make of them.
We start with gifts. Merit comes from what we make of them.
