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They must only bow to the authority of reason, instead of being the modest slaves of opinion.
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“They must only bow to the authority of reason, instead of being the modest slaves of opinion.”

Mary Wollstonecraft

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Source
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Date
1792
Meaning

Meaning of “They must only bow to the authority of…”

Respectability is grounded in independent reasoning rather than deference to social opinion, making judgment more important than approval.

Source context

Where does it come from?

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman; Wollstonecraft explicitly connects independence of character with the exercise of understanding.

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Be YourselfConfidence Quotes About Ability & Self-TrustDeepEducation Quotes About Teaching & Intellectual FormationIdentityIndependenceMindSelf RelianceSelf TrustSelf-Respect Quotes About Dignity & BoundariesShortThinking Quotes About Reasoning, Reflection & JudgmentThought-Provoking Quotes That Invite ReflectionTruthWisdom Quotes About Judgment & Living WellOpinionReason
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Source identified
But why, my dear Crito, should we care about the opinion of the many?
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“But why, my dear Crito, should we care about the opinion of the many?”

Plato · Crito · c. 399 BCE
Voice: Dialogue speaker · Socrates
Meaning & context

Socrates challenges the idea that widespread approval should decide a moral question, directing attention toward informed judgment rather than numerical popularity.

Source details

Crito, Benjamin Jowett translation; Socrates responds to Crito’s concern about public opinion while awaiting execution.

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Above all, don’t lie to yourself.
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“Above all, don’t lie to yourself.”

Fyodor Dostoevsky · The Brothers Karamazov · 1880
Voice: Fictional character · Father Zossima
Meaning & context

Self-deception is presented as especially damaging because it corrupts the person’s ability to recognize truth both inwardly and around them.

Source details

The Brothers Karamazov, Book II, Chapter 4, “A Lady of Little Faith,” Constance Garnett translation, verified against Project Gutenberg #28054 and Wikisource. Father Zossima tells the visitor, “Above all, don’t lie to yourself,” and develops the warning into an argument about self-deception, respect and love; this is fictional character counsel inside the novel.

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This above all: to thine own self be true.
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“This above all: to thine own self be true.”

William Shakespeare · Hamlet · c. 1600
Voice: Fictional character · Polonius
Meaning & context

Polonius frames integrity as consistency between inward conviction and outward conduct, although the advice belongs to a fallible fictional counselor.

Source details

Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3; Polonius gives Laertes this advice before Laertes leaves for France.

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What Saith thy Conscience?—“Thou shalt become what thou art.”
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“What Saith thy Conscience?—“Thou shalt become what thou art.””

Friedrich Nietzsche · The Joyful Wisdom · 1910
Meaning & context

The line frames conscience as a demand to develop into one’s own character rather than merely conforming to an externally supplied identity.

Source details

The Joyful Wisdom, aphorism 270; Thomas Common translation. The formula has a longer classical and Nietzschean history, so this record is tied specifically to this occurrence.

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It is above all things necessary to form a true estimate of oneself.
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“It is above all things necessary to form a true estimate of oneself.”

Seneca · Of Peace of Mind · 49–62 CE
Meaning & context

A realistic estimate of one’s abilities and limits supports both confidence and humility, reducing the instability that comes from either self-contempt or exaggerated self-belief.

Source details

Of Peace of Mind, section VI, Aubrey Stewart translation (1889), cross-checked against Project Gutenberg #64576 and Wikisource. The sentence opens Seneca’s advice to form a true estimate of oneself before matching undertakings to one’s actual abilities and temperament.

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