---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly…"
description: "\"An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly bestowed\" — French Proverb"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/french-proverb-12968_honest-man_an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly_1867628.jpg"
---

#  An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly bestowed

![“An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly bestowed” quote by French Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/french-proverb-12968_honest-man_an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly_1867628.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/french-proverb-12968_honest-man_an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly_1867628.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/french-proverb-12968_honest-man_an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly_1867628.jpg)

> “An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly bestowed”

French Proverb

## About This Quote

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

Unfair praise can harm an honest person.

**In simple terms:** Praise that isn’t deserved can hurt.

Key Takeaway

Give sincere, earned feedback.

Themes

honesty recognition integrity

Mood

cautious thoughtful

Type

philosophical advisory

When to use this quote

- workplace
- friendships
- public recognition
- education

Key Concepts

social perception psychology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you respond to unearned compliments?
- When should you with praise?

A Different Perspective

Excessive praise may create pressure to meet expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [No man is hurt but by himself. ...Literally by how he interprets what happens to him. If he focusses on how it could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/no-man-is-hurt-but-by-himself-literally-by-how-he-interprets-what/)

[Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/)

> [A man is hurt deepest by the people he loves and trust most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/a-man-is-hurt-deepest-by-the-people-he-loves-and-trust-most/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [“This man was hurt, damaged in some fundamental way. She saw it not in those scars upon his body but in the haunted expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-march/this-man-was-hurt-damaged-in-some-fundamental-way-she-saw-it-not-in/)

[Emily March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-march/)

> [A man that hurt his wife is someone with no experience of trur love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-that-hurt-his-wife-is-someone-with-no-experience-of-trur-love/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The real man never hurt woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/the-real-man-never-hurt-woman/)

[Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/)

> [Just because one man hurt you and broke your heart doesn't mean that another man cant love you with all the little bitty pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole/just-because-one-man-hurt-you-and-broke-your-heart-doesn-t-mean-that/)

[Nichole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole/)

> [“If I do this, something will go wrong and this man will hurt me. I know it as sure as I’m sitting here next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-cates/if-i-do-this-something-will-go-wrong-and-this-man-will-hurt-me-i-know/)

[Georgia Cates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-cates/)

> [A man who hurt a woman, is a coward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-marcelo/a-man-who-hurt-a-woman-is-a-coward/)

[Grace Marcelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-marcelo/)

> [No man is hurt but by himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/no-man-is-hurt-but-by-himself/)

[Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/)

> [When a man was hurt you took him to the maester, but what could you do when your maester was hurt?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-man-was-hurt-you-took-him-to-the-maester-but-what-could-you-do/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The man that put that hurt look in your eyes, could be worth everything, or nothing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/the-man-that-put-that-hurt-look-in-your-eyes-could-be-worth/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“When a rich man is hurt, his wail goeth heavens high. (Sancho Panza)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes-saavedra/when-a-rich-man-is-hurt-his-wail-goeth-heavens-high-sancho-panza/)

[Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes-saavedra/)

> [“Choke me to death with the hands of the man who hurt you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-diedrich/choke-me-to-death-with-the-hands-of-the-man-who-hurt-you/)

[Kirk Diedrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-diedrich/)

> [A man is not hurt so much by what happens, as by his opinion of what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-is-not-hurt-so-much-by-what-happens-as-by-his-opinion-of-what/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Anger does a man more hurt than that which made him angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/anger-does-a-man-more-hurt-than-that-which-made-him-angry/)

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

## More by French Proverb

> [A person is unlucky who falls on his back and breaks his nose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/a-person-is-unlucky-who-falls-on-his-back-and-breaks-his-nose/)

French Proverb

> [Young people tell what they are doing, old people what they have done and fools what they wish to do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/young-people-tell-what-they-are-doing-old-people-what-they-have-done/)

French Proverb

> [Ready money works great cures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/ready-money-works-great-cures/)

French Proverb

> [Nothing is more elegant than ready money!.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/nothing-is-more-elegant-than-ready-money/)

French Proverb

> [Fine feathers make fine birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/fine-feathers-make-fine-birds/)

French Proverb

> [“Everything changes, everything passes, every thing finds its place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/everything-changes-everything-passes-every-thing-finds-its-place/)

French proverb

> [God is on the side of the strongest battalions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/god-is-on-the-side-of-the-strongest-battalions/)

French Proverb

> [In water one sees one's own face; But in wine one beholds the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/in-water-one-sees-one-s-own-face-but-in-wine-one-beholds-the-heart-of/)

French Proverb

> [When we cannot get what we love, we must love what is within our reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/when-we-cannot-get-what-we-love-we-must-love-what-is-within-our-reach/)

French Proverb

> [Love is the dawn of marriage, and marriage is the sunset of love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/love-is-the-dawn-of-marriage-and-marriage-is-the-sunset-of-love/)

French Proverb

> [Write injuries in sand, kindnesses in marble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/write-injuries-in-sand-kindnesses-in-marble/)

French Proverb

> [Love makes time pass; time makes love pass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/love-makes-time-pass-time-makes-love-pass/)

French Proverb

> [Gratitude is the memory of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/gratitude-is-the-memory-of-the-heart/)

French Proverb

> [Fashion is a tyrant from which there is no deliverance; all must conform to its whimsical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/fashion-is-a-tyrant-from-which-there-is-no-deliverance-all-must/)

French Proverb

> [He that parts with his property before his death prepares himself for much suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/he-that-parts-with-his-property-before-his-death-prepares-himself-for/)

French Proverb

Explore all 52 French Proverb quotes

## More Honest man quotes

> [Tobacco is the passion of honest men and he who lives without tobacco is not worthy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/tobacco-is-the-passion-of-honest-men-and-he-who-lives-without-tobacco/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [“An honest man is a debtless man, he doesn't owe anyone anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/an-honest-man-is-a-debtless-man-he-doesn-t-owe-anyone-anything/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [“Daughter! Get you an honest Man for a Husband, and keep him honest. No matter whether he is rich, provided he be independent. Regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/daughter-get-you-an-honest-man-for-a-husband-and-keep-him-honest-no/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [It is often sadly remarked that the bad economists present their errors to the public better than the good economists present their truths. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/it-is-often-sadly-remarked-that-the-bad-economists-present-their/)

[Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/)

> [Humanity is not perfect in any fashion; no more in the case of evil than in that of good. The criminal has his virtues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-choderlos-de-laclos/humanity-is-not-perfect-in-any-fashion-no-more-in-the-case-of-evil/)

[Pierre Choderlos de Laclos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-choderlos-de-laclos/)

> [The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-surest-way-to-remain-poor-is-to-be-an-honest-man/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [There are courageous and honest men enough in both sections to fight. There is no question of courage involved. The people of both sections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/there-are-courageous-and-honest-men-enough-in-both-sections-to-fight/)

[Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/)

> [An honest man is all right even if he's an idiot...but a crook must have brains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/an-honest-man-is-all-right-even-if-he-s-an-idiot-but-a-crook-must/)

[Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/)

> [“As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a year by wandering the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, smiling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/as-far-as-i-could-tell-he-earned-his-hundred-thousand-a-year-by/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [“What honest man was never in his life without sustenance? And what human being has ever seen as the years pass his hopes, plans,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-walser/what-honest-man-was-never-in-his-life-without-sustenance-and-what/)

[Robert Walser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-walser/)

> [In modern business it is not the crook who is to be feared most, it is the honest man who doesn't know what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/in-modern-business-it-is-not-the-crook-who-is-to-be-feared-most-it-is/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [“You couldn't listen to honest man whom you hate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/you-couldn-t-listen-to-honest-man-whom-you-hate/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [With a woman, always make good use of a secret. She will be proportionally grateful to you, like a scoundrel who grants his respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/with-a-woman-always-make-good-use-of-a-secret-she-will-be/)

[Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/)

> [“Well, it's a choice like any other, even though it's stupid to believe we can control the world and to allow ourselves to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/well-it-s-a-choice-like-any-other-even-though-it-s-stupid-to-believe/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [An honest man is in Hell when he is in debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-golden-kimball/an-honest-man-is-in-hell-when-he-is-in-debt/)

[J. Golden Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-golden-kimball/)

Browse all 405 Honest man quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly bestowed",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "French Proverb"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly-bestowed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Honest man"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly-bestowed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/french-proverb-12968_honest-man_an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly_1867628.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/french-proverb-12968_honest-man_an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly_1867628.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/french-proverb-12968_honest-man_an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly_1867628.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“An honest man is hurt by praise unjustly bestowed” — French Proverb",
                "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": "French Proverb",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/french-proverb/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "An honest man is hurt by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly-bestowed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/an-honest-man-is-hurt-by-praise-unjustly-bestowed/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
