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The world more often rewards the appearances of merit than merit itself.
The world more often rewards the appearances of merit than merit itself.
 There is a season for man's merit as well as for fruit.
 [Fr., Le merite des hommes a sa read more 
 There is a season for man's merit as well as for fruit.
 [Fr., Le merite des hommes a sa saison aussi bien que les 
fruits.] 
 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.] 
 We should try to succeed by merit, not by favor. He who does 
well will always have patrons enough.
read more 
 We should try to succeed by merit, not by favor. He who does 
well will always have patrons enough.
 [Lat., Virtute ambire oportet, non favitoribus.
  Sat habet favitorum semper, qui recte facit.] 
He merits no thanks who does a kindness for his own ends
He merits no thanks who does a kindness for his own ends
 Thy father's merit sets thee up to view,
 And shows thee in the fairest point of light,
  read more 
 Thy father's merit sets thee up to view,
 And shows thee in the fairest point of light,
  To make thy virtues, or thy faults, conspicuous. 
 There is merit without elevation, but there is no elevation 
without some merit.
 [Fr., Il y a du read more 
 There is merit without elevation, but there is no elevation 
without some merit.
 [Fr., Il y a du merite sans elevation mais il n'y a point 
d'elevation sans quelque merite.] 
 Surely, sir,
 There's in him stuff that puts him to these ends;
  For, being not propped by read more 
 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. 
On their own merits modest men are dumb.
On their own merits modest men are dumb.