Authority Quote by Charles Caleb Colton
“With respect to the authority of great names, it should be remembered that he alone deserves to have any weight and influence with posterity, who has shown himself superior to the particular and predominant error of his own times; who, like the peak of Teneriffe, has hailed the intellectual sun before its beams have reached the horizon of common minds.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Authority of Great Names", 1820
Only those who surpass their era's errors earn lasting influence.
In simple terms: True greatness transcends contemporary flaws.
Key Takeaway
Seek timeless insight.
Themes
legacy
intellectual merit
history
Mood
contemplative
serious
Type
historical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education
- leadership
- public discourse
Key Concepts
philosophy
cultural criticism
Questions to Reflect On
- Who exemplifies this timeless authority?
- How to distinguish true merit from hype?
A Different Perspective
Great names can be misinterpreted or mythologized.
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)