Reflections on Vanity
- Vanity is a profound intellectual flaw before it becomes a moral failing.
- We are humble without being weak, and strong without being arrogant.
- The higher the noble person rises, the more humble they become; conversely, the lower the petty person sinks, the more arrogant they are.
- If vanity takes hold of a fool’s head, they may assume their shoulder is a wing.
- Vanity cannot flourish in the presence of indifference, much like fragility cannot exist in love that cannot be reciprocated.
- While vanity may inflate a person’s ego, it cannot elevate them in any substantial way.
- Arrogance can lead a person down a path of destruction.
- Trust in the quiet voice of reason, for it is stronger than shouting; civility conquers rudeness, and humility shatters vanity.
- Effort without reliance is vanity, and reliance without effort is inadequacy.
- All the corruption found in the world stems from the affliction of vanity.
- Vanity creeps into a person’s heart as insidiously as resentment, forgetfulness, and even cholesterol, often without them realizing it. If you were to ask a thousand people about their flaws, many would claim, “I trust people too much” or “I am excessively candid.”
- What sometimes appears to you as knowledge is often the height of ignorance and the essence of vanity.
- Beware of self-satisfaction, as it leads to idleness; be cautious of self-admiration; it may entrap you in foolishness, and avoid vanity, for it lays bare all your deficiencies.
- Vanity signifies humiliation more than it does pride.
Various Quotes about Vanity
- Vanity is like quicksand that sinks reasoning.
- Vanity may bloom, but it bears no fruit.
- The smaller the mind, the greater the vanity.
- No bird ascends but eventually descends.
- One of the gravest errors is believing yourself exempt from faults.
- Arrogance does not elevate the ignorant; likewise, humility does not diminish the wise.
- A vain rooster believes the sun rises every morning to appreciate its crowing talents.
- The insistence on being liked is one of the greatest forms of vanity.
- There are three signs of foolishness: stubbornness, vanity, and clinging to one’s opinions.
- A single ounce of vanity can spoil a hundredweight of merit.
- Vanity breeds tyranny.
- Pride is the inheritance of fools.
- Between you and perfection lies a veil of vanity.
- Vanity can lead the foolish to deny the truth and stray from righteousness.
- Many people are dazzled by their dreams and influenced by temptation, becoming victims of their vanity.
- Effort without reliance is vanity, and reliance without effort is inadequacy.
- A person who admires themselves showcases a limited intellect.
Insights on Vanity and Pride
- No one elevates themselves above another without simultaneously belittling those above them.
- Empty vessels often hold their heads high.
- Self-confidence does not equate to vanity; however, confidence to the point of belittling others is mere arrogance.
- Vanity is merely another facet of ignorance.
- Do not be vain, lest you regret it; do not be overly confident, lest you be shocked.
- Vanity diminishes joy.
- It astonishes me that a human can be arrogant when their beginning is a drop and their end is decay.
- The greatest advice I can offer my children is to avoid arrogance; I firmly believe that true greatness is not diminished by humility and respect for others.
- Pride and self-admiration steal virtues and foster vices.
- Many ignorant people, when humble, conceal their ignorance; while those distinguished in knowledge can destroy their merits through arrogance. Abandon pride throughout your life and avoid those who possess it; it is a flaw for the youth.
- He who is arrogant towards others will find himself in disgrace.
- Being friendly to those who despise you while being harsh with those who love you is the hallmark of the arrogant and the folly of the petty.
- Walk upon the earth humbly, for beneath it lie those who are loftier than you. Even if you are in esteem and abundance, many have perished who were mightier than you.
- Pride begets hatred.
- No one becomes arrogant without a deficiency they perceive within themselves, nor does anyone boast unless they feel a weakness.
- There is a fine line between excessive self-confidence and vanity.
- Do not boast of your beauty, wealth, or noble origins; you have had no hand in creating any of it.
Poetry on Vanity
- The poet Al-Habl states:
Life is a façade of vanity,
Do not grieve over it,
For you will exit from it,
As you entered it,
This realm only belongs to those
Whose eternity is to reside within it.
- The poet Al-Waaw states:
He became arrogant when he saw himself,
In the likeness of the sun when depicted.
He will lament a thousand times for his deeds,
When the sun has set upon his cheek.
- The poet Ibrahim Abdul Qadir Al-Mazini states:
Stand firm and endure hardship and distress,
For you are human, created from Adam,
Despite being bestowed upon this world that is indifferent and unjust,
Can you shield yourself from oppression which is ever present?
Descendants of Adam, what vanity has cast upon you,
Its aim was to make you rulers,
Do you believe that the earth is spread out for you?
And that the clouds swirl for your benefit?
And that stars gleam solely as ornaments,
For the eyes that gaze upon them?
Why then do you not weave your own fabric,
To become adorned in the beauty of it?
A Poem on Vanity by Yasser Al-Aqra’
Do not ask me, my lovely one,
Oh, the essence of presence,
Where did this “I” originate from?
Where does this vanity derive?
Do not inquire what is wrong with it,
This that you have altered,
With a mental stain,
And a poetic thought,
That turns round in my mind.
Without a doubt, you are a breeze,
Graceful and calm,
A mischievous child,
Bold yet warm,
Sweet astonishment,
And a peculiar melody,
A distant star,
A mesmerizing world.
And you are the sweetest longing,
Concealed from your gaze…
You are the most precious word,
Hidden between the lines.
Yet what you gave me in a moment of attention,
Left me lost in ruins.
I felt like an idea,
Transparent in presence,
As if I were misplaced… scattered,
Trapped in sensation,
As if there is no land for me,
And outside the epochs.
You taught me madness,
Bestowed things that cannot exist.
Showed me how the “I”,
Allows me to claim…
That all my wishes…
Revolve around me.
It permits me to claim… and to boast,
I relished constructing illusions…
In the palms of my hands.
I became a frivolous child,
Spoiled,
Over trivial matters… perhaps I might erupt,
And shatter dreams within our eyes…
And demolish fortresses,
Indulging in all pride…
With my shattered dream.
Do not inquire…
Oh, one to whom my verses soar,
The one to whom my words migrate,
You are the one who transformed me,
You are the one who shaped me,
Into a mischievous child,
Indulging in vanity.