--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man desires praise that he may be…" description: "\"A man desires praise that he may be reassured, that he may be quit of his doubting of himself; he is indifferent to applause when he is confident of su..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/alec-waugh-39652_applause_a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reas_1244793.jpg" --- # A man desires praise that he may be reassured, that he may… ![“A man desires praise that he may be reassured, that he may be quit of his doubting of himself; he is indifferent to applause when he is confident of success.” quote by Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/alec-waugh-39652_applause_a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reas_1244793.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/alec-waugh-39652_applause_a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reas_1244793.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/alec-waugh-39652_applause_a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reas_1244793.jpg) > “A man desires praise that he may be reassured, that he may be quit of his doubting of himself; he is indifferent to applause when he is confident of success.” [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People seek praise for reassurance but lose need when confident. **In simple terms:** Praise matters only when insecure. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner confidence. Themes confidence praise self-doubt Mood analytical insightful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - leadership - performance reviews - creative work Key Concepts psychology motivation Questions to Reflect On - When do you still crave applause? - How can you reinforce self-assurance? A Different Perspective Reliance on external validation can persist despite confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Applause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/applause/) [Applause Confident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/applause-confident-3899577/) [Confident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confident/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Doubting Indifferent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubting-indifferent-3899575/) [Indifferent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifferent/) [Indifferent Applause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifferent-applause-3899574/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Praise Reassured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise-reassured-3899576/) [Quitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quitting/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Vanity, or to call it by a gentler name, the desire of admiration and applause, is, perhaps, the most universal principle of humanactions… Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/vanity-or-to-call-it-by-a-gentler-name-the-desire-of-admiration-and/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [You can copy, but hold the applause you get the satisfaction of mind can not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/you-can-copy-but-hold-the-applause-you-get-the-satisfaction-of-mind/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [The beauteous dragonfly's dancing By the waves of the rivulet glancing; She dances here and she dances there, The glimmering, glittering flutterer fair. Full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-beauteous-dragonfly-s-dancing-by-the-waves-of-the-rivulet/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [When I got through, Duke Ellington stood up and started the applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-brown/when-i-got-through-duke-ellington-stood-up-and-started-the-applause/) [Ruth Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-brown/) > [“A magician must always value his magic effects more than himself, because after few years audience may not remember his name but they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/a-magician-must-always-value-his-magic-effects-more-than-himself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [If anyone ever boos you off stage, that is simply applause from ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-needles/if-anyone-ever-boos-you-off-stage-that-is-simply-applause-from-ghosts/) [Sharon Needles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-needles/) > [“Upon common theaters, indeed, the applause of the audience is of more importance to the actors than their own aprobation. But upon the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/upon-common-theaters-indeed-the-applause-of-the-audience-is-of-more/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is clear that the future of freedom and peace depend on the actions of America. This nation is freedom's home, and freedom's defender.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-is-clear-that-the-future-of-freedom-and-peace-depend-on-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [“Those who do soul work, who want the searing truth more than solace or applause, know each other right away. Those who want something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/those-who-do-soul-work-who-want-the-searing-truth-more-than-solace-or/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [ All the shows we did pre-airdate, and I'd come out - "Rob Lowe!" - and it was \[Offers bored applause.\] After the show aired?… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/all-the-shows-we-did-pre-airdate-and-i-d-come-out-rob-lowe-and-it-was/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [“i nod to the other will grayson, up onstage. he nods to me. we have something between us, him and me. but the truth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-nod-to-the-other-will-grayson-up-onstage-he-nods-to-me-we-have/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“An applause is not just the recognition of good performance, but its proof of being different than the crowd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-applause-is-not-just-the-recognition-of-good-performance-but-its/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“In due course I would learn how to cover up for this event, but on that awful day I knew of nothing to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-pryor/in-due-course-i-would-learn-how-to-cover-up-for-this-event-but-on/) [Karen Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-pryor/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) ## More by Alec Waugh > [To be excited and at the same time satisfied; to desire and possess -that has been described somewhere as the wise man's idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/to-be-excited-and-at-the-same-time-satisfied-to-desire-and-possess/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [London is a city of clubs and private houses. You have to be a member.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/london-is-a-city-of-clubs-and-private-houses-you-have-to-be-a-member/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [By comparing what we know today with what the ancients appear to have known we can guess at the kinds of wine they drank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/by-comparing-what-we-know-today-with-what-the-ancients-appear-to-have/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [There is so little time for the discovery of all that we want to know about things that really interest us.We cannot afford to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/there-is-so-little-time-for-the-discovery-of-all-that-we-want-to-know/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [There is a case, and a strong case, for that particular form of indolence that allows us to move through life knowing only what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/there-is-a-case-and-a-strong-case-for-that-particular-form-of/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [The man who asks a woman what she wants deserves all that's coming to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/the-man-who-asks-a-woman-what-she-wants-deserves-all-that-s-coming-to/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [I am prepared to believe that a dry martini slightly impairs the palate, but think what it does for the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/i-am-prepared-to-believe-that-a-dry-martini-slightly-impairs-the/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [It is the thing that is most remote from the world in which we ourselves live that attracts us most. We are under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/it-is-the-thing-that-is-most-remote-from-the-world-in-which-we/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [We need not be intimidated by the wine snob because we know that, in the last analysis, he is only putting on a front.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/we-need-not-be-intimidated-by-the-wine-snob-because-we-know-that-in/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) > [You can fall in love at first sight with a place as with a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/you-can-fall-in-love-at-first-sight-with-a-place-as-with-a-person/) [Alec Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) [Explore all 11 Alec Waugh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/) ## More Applause quotes > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“In due course I would learn how to cover up for this event, but on that awful day I knew of nothing to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-pryor/in-due-course-i-would-learn-how-to-cover-up-for-this-event-but-on/) [Karen Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-pryor/) > [“An applause is not just the recognition of good performance, but its proof of being different than the crowd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-applause-is-not-just-the-recognition-of-good-performance-but-its/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“i nod to the other will grayson, up onstage. he nods to me. we have something between us, him and me. but the truth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-nod-to-the-other-will-grayson-up-onstage-he-nods-to-me-we-have/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [ All the shows we did pre-airdate, and I'd come out - "Rob Lowe!" - and it was \[Offers bored applause.\] After the show aired?… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/all-the-shows-we-did-pre-airdate-and-i-d-come-out-rob-lowe-and-it-was/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [“Those who do soul work, who want the searing truth more than solace or applause, know each other right away. Those who want something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/those-who-do-soul-work-who-want-the-searing-truth-more-than-solace-or/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [It is clear that the future of freedom and peace depend on the actions of America. This nation is freedom's home, and freedom's defender.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/it-is-clear-that-the-future-of-freedom-and-peace-depend-on-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Upon common theaters, indeed, the applause of the audience is of more importance to the actors than their own aprobation. But upon the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/upon-common-theaters-indeed-the-applause-of-the-audience-is-of-more/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [If anyone ever boos you off stage, that is simply applause from ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-needles/if-anyone-ever-boos-you-off-stage-that-is-simply-applause-from-ghosts/) [Sharon Needles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-needles/) > [“A magician must always value his magic effects more than himself, because after few years audience may not remember his name but they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/a-magician-must-always-value-his-magic-effects-more-than-himself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When I got through, Duke Ellington stood up and started the applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-brown/when-i-got-through-duke-ellington-stood-up-and-started-the-applause/) [Ruth Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-brown/) > [The beauteous dragonfly's dancing By the waves of the rivulet glancing; She dances here and she dances there, The glimmering, glittering flutterer fair. Full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/the-beauteous-dragonfly-s-dancing-by-the-waves-of-the-rivulet/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [You can copy, but hold the applause you get the satisfaction of mind can not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/you-can-copy-but-hold-the-applause-you-get-the-satisfaction-of-mind/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Qv5YUc A round of applause for your blog.Really looking forward to read more. Awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oem-software-buy/qv5yuc-a-round-of-applause-for-your-blog-really-looking-forward-to/) [Oem Software Buy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oem-software-buy/) [Browse all 556 Applause quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/applause/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man desires praise that he may be reassured, that he may be quit of his doubting of himself; he is indifferent to applause when he is confident of success.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alec Waugh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reassured-that-he-may-be-quit-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Applause" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reassured-that-he-may-be-quit-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/alec-waugh-39652_applause_a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reas_1244793.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/alec-waugh-39652_applause_a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reas_1244793.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/714/alec-waugh-39652_applause_a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reas_1244793.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man desires praise that he may be reassured, that he may be quit of his doubting of himself; he is…” — Alec Waugh", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alec Waugh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-waugh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man desires praise that he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reassured-that-he-may-be-quit-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-waugh/a-man-desires-praise-that-he-may-be-reassured-that-he-may-be-quit-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```