--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The propriety of some persons seems to…" description: "\"The propriety of some persons seems to consist in having improper thoughts about their neighbors.\" — F. H. Bradley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/097/f-h-bradley-18045_neighbor_the-propriety-of-some-persons-seems-to-c_382416.jpg" --- # The propriety of some persons seems to consist in having… ![“The propriety of some persons seems to consist in having improper thoughts about their neighbors.” quote by F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/097/f-h-bradley-18045_neighbor_the-propriety-of-some-persons-seems-to-c_382416.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/097/f-h-bradley-18045_neighbor_the-propriety-of-some-persons-seems-to-c_382416.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/097/f-h-bradley-18045_neighbor_the-propriety-of-some-persons-seems-to-c_382416.jpg) > “The propriety of some persons seems to consist in having improper thoughts about their neighbors.” [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement critiques people who appear proper but entertain improper thoughts about others, exposing hypocrisy. **In simple terms:** Proper outward behavior can hide improper inner thoughts. Key Takeaway Examine hidden biases behind polite behavior. Themes ethics hypocrisy social perception Mood critical thoughtful Type ethical observational When to use this quote - workplace interactions - social gatherings - online forums Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you notice this in yourself? - How can you align thoughts with proper conduct? A Different Perspective It may overgeneralize and ignore cultural context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Neighbors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbors/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Propriety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propriety/) ## Related quotes > [Avoid destructive thinking. Improper negative thoughts sink people. A ship can sail on water all around the world many, many times, but just let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-armand-montapert/avoid-destructive-thinking-improper-negative-thoughts-sink-people-a/) [Alfred Armand Montapert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-armand-montapert/) > [Propriety is the least of all laws, and the most observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/propriety-is-the-least-of-all-laws-and-the-most-observed/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Oratory is good only if it has the qualities of fitness for the occasion, propriety of style, and originality of treatment, while in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/oratory-is-good-only-if-it-has-the-qualities-of-fitness-for-the/) [Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/) > [Oh, propriety," says Mrs Benjamin. "We're always so concerned with propriety. Even in total madness, we still stick to our hierarchies and chains of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jackson-bennett/oh-propriety-says-mrs-benjamin-we-re-always-so-concerned-with/) [Robert Jackson Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jackson-bennett/) > [For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/for-it-is-not-light-that-is-needed-but-fire-it-is-not-the-gentle/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [No man can well doubt the propriety of placing a president of the United States under the most solemn obligations to preserve, protect, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-story/no-man-can-well-doubt-the-propriety-of-placing-a-president-of-the/) [Joseph Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-story/) > [Propriety and single interest divides the people of a land and the whole world into parties and is the cause of all wars and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerrard-winstanley/propriety-and-single-interest-divides-the-people-of-a-land-and-the/) [Gerrard Winstanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerrard-winstanley/) > [“Repression is a seamless garment; a society which is authoritarian in its social and sexual codes, which crushes its women beneath the intolerable burdens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/repression-is-a-seamless-garment-a-society-which-is-authoritarian-in/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/without-an-acquaintance-with-the-rules-of-propriety-it-is-impossible/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Money is, with propriety, considered as the vital principle of the body politic; as that which sustains its life and motion, and enables it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/money-is-with-propriety-considered-as-the-vital-principle-of-the-body/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [A novice always behaves with propriety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/a-novice-always-behaves-with-propriety/) [Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/) > [Our large trading cities bear to me very nearly the aspect of monastic establishments in which the roar of the mill-wheel and the crane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/our-large-trading-cities-bear-to-me-very-nearly-the-aspect-of/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [How do our philosophers act? Do they not inscribe their signatures to the very essays they write on the propriety of despising glory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not-inscribe-their-signatures-to/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [The fruit of humanity is devotion to one's parents. The fruit of righteousness is to respect one's elders. The fruit of wisdom is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/the-fruit-of-humanity-is-devotion-to-one-s-parents-the-fruit-of/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [“...the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-pleasantness-of-an-employment-does-not-always-evince-its-propriety/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) ## More by F. H. Bradley > [There are persons who, when they cease to shock us, cease to interest us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/there-are-persons-who-when-they-cease-to-shock-us-cease-to-interest-us/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [The force of the blow depends on the resistance. It is sometimes better not to struggle against temptation. Either fly or yield at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/the-force-of-the-blow-depends-on-the-resistance-it-is-sometimes/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [The cost of a thing is what I call life which has to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/the-cost-of-a-thing-is-what-i-call-life-which-has-to-be-exchanged-for/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [Religion is rather the attempt to express the complete reality of goodness through every aspect of our being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/religion-is-rather-the-attempt-to-express-the-complete-reality-of/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [“One cannot remain in LOVE unless PERPETUALLY one falls in LOVE ANEW.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/one-cannot-remain-in-love-unless-perpetually-one-falls-in-love-anew/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [True penitence condemns to silence. What a man is ready to recall he would be willing to repeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/true-penitence-condemns-to-silence-what-a-man-is-ready-to-recall-he/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [I can myself conceive of nothing else than the experienced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/i-can-myself-conceive-of-nothing-else-than-the-experienced/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [It is by a wise economy of nature that those who suffer without change, and whom no one can help, become uninteresting. Yet so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/it-is-by-a-wise-economy-of-nature-that-those-who-suffer-without/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [Our live experiences, fixed in aphorisms, stiffen into cold epigrams. Our heart's blood, as we write it, turns to mere dull ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/our-live-experiences-fixed-in-aphorisms-stiffen-into-cold-epigrams/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [We say that a girl with her doll anticipates the mother. It is more true, perhaps, that most mothers are still but children with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/we-say-that-a-girl-with-her-doll-anticipates-the-mother-it-is-more/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring. And that is not happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/the-secret-of-happiness-is-to-admire-without-desiring-and-that-is-not/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe on instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/metaphysics-is-the-finding-of-bad-reasons-for-what-we-believe-on/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [One said of suicide, As long as one has brains one should not blow them out. And another answered, But when one has ceased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/one-said-of-suicide-as-long-as-one-has-brains-one-should-not-blow/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [The Self has turned out to mean so many things, to mean them so ambiguously, and to be so wavering in its application, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/the-self-has-turned-out-to-mean-so-many-things-to-mean-them-so/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) > [It is good to know what a man is, and also what the world takes him for. But you do not understand him until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-h-bradley/it-is-good-to-know-what-a-man-is-and-also-what-the-world-takes-him/) [F. H. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) [Explore all 35 F. H. Bradley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-h-bradley/) ## More Neighbor quotes > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [People who have reformed themselves has contributed their full share towards the reformation of their neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-douglas/people-who-have-reformed-themselves-has-contributed-their-full-share/) [Norman Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-douglas/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) > [Have therefore zeal to better thyself and then mayst thou have zeal to thy neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/have-therefore-zeal-to-better-thyself-and-then-mayst-thou-have-zeal/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [A faithfully kept program of savings and conservative investments can give you more money and a better life than that of your neighbors who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-bryant-quinn/a-faithfully-kept-program-of-savings-and-conservative-investments-can/) [Jane Bryant Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-bryant-quinn/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [As nature made every man with a nose and eyes of his own, she gave him a character of his own, too; and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-nature-made-every-man-with-a-nose-and-eyes-of-his-own-she-gave-him/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Love your Neighbour; yet don't pull down your Hedge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/love-your-neighbour-yet-don-t-pull-down-your-hedge/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/you-must-live-in-the-present-launch-yourself-on-every-wave-find-your/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In the nature of things, those who have no property and see their neighbors possess much more than they think them to need, cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/in-the-nature-of-things-those-who-have-no-property-and-see-their/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1969, in a time and place where no one was saying, 'Look how far we've come,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/i-was-born-in-jackson-mississippi-in-1969-in-a-time-and-place-where/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [I am actually working on The Neighbors sitcom. We are starting from scratch. I am also working on a comedy movie and a vampire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-wiseau/i-am-actually-working-on-the-neighbors-sitcom-we-are-starting-from/) [Tommy Wiseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-wiseau/) > [There is a law that man should love his neighbor as himself. In a few hundred years it should be as natural to mankind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/there-is-a-law-that-man-should-love-his-neighbor-as-himself-in-a-few/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) [Browse all 2,073 Neighbor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The propriety of some persons seems to consist in having improper thoughts about their neighbors.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "F. H. 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