Glory and Shame

204. Glory

Glory is a kind of joy, based on self-love.

It arises from the belief or hope of being praised by others.

It differs from inner satisfaction, which comes from the belief that one has performed a good action.

For one can sometimes be praised for actions one does not believe to be good and criticized for those one considers better.

Both, however, are forms of self-esteem as well as forms of joy, for seeing oneself esteemed by others is a reason to esteem oneself.

205. Shame

Shame, in contrast, is a type of sadness, also rooted in self-love.

It stems from the belief or fear of being criticized.

It is, moreover, a kind of modesty or humility and a lack of confidence in oneself.

For when one esteems oneself so highly as to believe one cannot be despised by anyone, one is not easily ashamed.

206. The Use of Glory and Shame

Glory and shame have a similar purpose in that they encourage virtue, one through hope and the other through fear.

The key is to educate one’s judgment regarding what is truly worthy of blame or praise, so as not to feel ashamed of doing good or to take pride in one’s vices, as many do.

It is not good, however, to rid oneself entirely of these passions, as the Cynics of old attempted to do.

Although the public often judges poorly, since we cannot live without others and their esteem matters to us, we must often follow their opinions rather than our own regarding the outward aspects of our actions.