---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think you may judge of a man’s…"
description: "\"I think you may judge of a man’s character by the persons whose affection he seeks. If you find a man seeking only the affection of those who are great..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/charles-spurgeon-82_affection_i-think-you-may-judge-of-a-man-s-charact_1878731.png"
---

#  I think you may judge of a man’s character by the persons…

![“I think you may judge of a man’s character by the persons whose affection he seeks. If you find a man seeking only the affection of those who are great, depend upon it he is ambitious and self-seeking; but when you observe that a man seeks the affection of those who can do nothing for him, but for…” quote by Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/charles-spurgeon-82_affection_i-think-you-may-judge-of-a-man-s-charact_1878731.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/charles-spurgeon-82_affection_i-think-you-may-judge-of-a-man-s-charact_1878731.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2eb/charles-spurgeon-82_affection_i-think-you-may-judge-of-a-man-s-charact_1878731.png)

> “I think you may judge of a man’s character by the persons whose affection he seeks. If you find a man seeking only the affection of those who are great, depend upon it he is ambitious and self-seeking; but when you observe that a man seeks the affection of those who can do nothing for him, but for whom he must do everything, you know that he is not seeking himself, but that pure benevolence sways his heart.”

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A man's character is reflected by whose affection he seeks: seeking greatness shows ambition, while seeking those who need him shows pure benevolence.

**In simple terms:** Affection sought reveals character.

Key Takeaway

Observe who you seek approval from.

Themes

character motivation benevolence

Mood

reflective ethical

Type

moral philosophical

When to use this quote

- leadership
- friendship
- mentor relationships

Key Concepts

social hierarchy selflessness ambition

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you seek approval from those who empower you or those you empower?
- What does your choice say about your values?

A Different Perspective

Seeking praise from the powerful can breed selfishness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Affection Seeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection-seeks-2639113/) [Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) [Benevolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benevolence/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Man Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-character/) [Man'S Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-s-character/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Pure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pure/) [Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeking/) [Seeking Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeking-affection-2639114/) [Seeks Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeks-affection-2639115/) [Seeks Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeks-man-2639116/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

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