--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fame has also this great drawback, that…" description: "\"Fame has also this great drawback, that if we pursue it, we must direct our lives so as to please the fancy of men.\" — Baruch Spinoza" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/baruch-spinoza-1338_direct_fame-has-also-this-great-drawback-that-i_2525499.jpg" --- # Fame has also this great drawback, that if we pursue it… ![“Fame has also this great drawback, that if we pursue it, we must direct our lives so as to please the fancy of men.” quote by Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/baruch-spinoza-1338_direct_fame-has-also-this-great-drawback-that-i_2525499.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/baruch-spinoza-1338_direct_fame-has-also-this-great-drawback-that-i_2525499.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/baruch-spinoza-1338_direct_fame-has-also-this-great-drawback-that-i_2525499.jpg) > “Fame has also this great drawback, that if we pursue it, we must direct our lives so as to please the fancy of men.” [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking fame forces one to shape life around others' opinions, limiting authenticity. **In simple terms:** Fame makes you live for others' approval. Key Takeaway Prioritize inner values over external validation. Themes authenticity reputation self‑esteem Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical advisory When to use this quote - career decisions - personal branding - public speaking - social media - leadership Key Concepts existentialism social influence Questions to Reflect On - Do you compromise your values for recognition? - How does external approval affect your self‑image? A Different Perspective Fame can also bring opportunities and resources that may outweigh personal cost. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Direct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direct/) [Drawback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawback-261823/) [Drawback Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawback-pursue-1293539/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Fame Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame-great-1293542/) [Fancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fancy/) [Great Drawback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-drawback-1293541/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Our lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-lives/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursue/) ## Related quotes > [I find vocabulary to be a great drawback.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/i-find-vocabulary-to-be-a-great-drawback/) [Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/) > [The 'chess machine', by which admiring title he had been known, revealed the great drawback of a machine: it had not sufficient flexibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-euwe/the-chess-machine-by-which-admiring-title-he-had-been-known-revealed/) [Max Euwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-euwe/) > [The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame was a great idea when it started, but I think they ought to close it, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame-was-a-great-idea-when-it-started-but-i/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [Ah woe is me, through all my daysWisdom and wealth I both have got,And fame and name and great men's praise;But Love, ah! Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cuyler-bunner/ah-woe-is-me-through-all-my-dayswisdom-and-wealth-i-both-have-got-and/) [Henry Cuyler Bunner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cuyler-bunner/) > [Fame is great when everything in your life is going well. But when it goes wrong, when you're having to jump on a bus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-kemp/fame-is-great-when-everything-in-your-life-is-going-well-but-when-it/) [Martin Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-kemp/) > [The charm of fame is so great that we like every object to which it is attached, even death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-charm-of-fame-is-so-great-that-we-like-every-object-to-which-it/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [The fame of great men ought to be judged always by their big, fancy names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-fame-of-great-men-ought-to-be-judged-always-by-their-big-fancy/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Great men, unknown to their generation, have their fame among the great who have preceded them, and all true worldly fame subsides from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/great-men-unknown-to-their-generation-have-their-fame-among-the-great/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I love celebrities, and I love the concept of fame, but it took me getting fame to realize that it doesn't exist, which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-needles/i-love-celebrities-and-i-love-the-concept-of-fame-but-it-took-me/) [Sharon Needles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-needles/) > [It's only a drawback in the States, where most people seem to have no real interest in other countries and the notion of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/it-s-only-a-drawback-in-the-states-where-most-people-seem-to-have-no/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [The main drawback, of course, was cost. Participating effectively in World Summit on the Information Society was very expensive for both developing countries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-souter/the-main-drawback-of-course-was-cost-participating-effectively-in/) [David Souter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-souter/) > [In actions of enthusiasm, this drawback appears: but in those lower activities, which have no higher aim than to make us more comfortable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-actions-of-enthusiasm-this-drawback-appears-but-in-those-lower/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The most obvious drawback of social media is that they are aggressive distractions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-keller/the-most-obvious-drawback-of-social-media-is-that-they-are-aggressive/) [Bill Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-keller/) > [San Francisco has only one drawback—‘tis hard to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/san-francisco-has-only-one-drawback-tis-hard-to-leave/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [I am here to say that there is no drawback to being a woman in business. 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