--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we see men of worth, we should think…" description: "\"When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves.\" — G..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/gustave-courbet-16462_character_when-we-see-men-of-worth-we-should-think_1137734.jpg" --- # When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling… ![“When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves.” quote by Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/gustave-courbet-16462_character_when-we-see-men-of-worth-we-should-think_1137734.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/gustave-courbet-16462_character_when-we-see-men-of-worth-we-should-think_1137734.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/gustave-courbet-16462_character_when-we-see-men-of-worth-we-should-think_1137734.jpg) > “When we see men of worth, we should think of equalling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inward and examine ourselves.” [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observing virtuous people should inspire self-improvement, while encountering immoral individuals prompts introspection about one's own flaws. **In simple terms:** Good role models inspire; bad ones trigger self‑examination. Key Takeaway Use others as mirrors for personal growth. Themes ethics self‑reflection role models Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - leadership development - personal ethics - team dynamics - conflict resolution Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology of comparison Questions to Reflect On - Who do you admire and why? - What traits in others reveal your own blind spots? A Different Perspective Focusing too much on others can cause unnecessary self‑criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrary/) [Equalling Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equalling-men-3157146/) [Examine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examine/) [Inward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inward/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Contrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-contrary-1272889/) [Men Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-worth-554260/) [Ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ourselves/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Equalling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-equalling-3157147/) [Turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/) [Worth Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-think-524781/) ## Related quotes > [All laws which can be broken without any injury to another, are counted but a laughing-stock, and are so far from bridling the desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/all-laws-which-can-be-broken-without-any-injury-to-another-are/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [Jefferson refused to pin his hopes on the occasional success of honest and unambitious men; on the contrary, the great danger was that philosophers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/jefferson-refused-to-pin-his-hopes-on-the-occasional-success-of/) [Daniel J. 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And I really believe that. Everybody is worth something, and think of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-benatar/i-read-somewhere-that-we-are-all-more-than-we-know-and-i-really/) [Pat Benatar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-benatar/) > [Your friends are worth more than you think--$7.99 at least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-friends-are-worth-more-than-you-think-7-99-at-least/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Trying to love yourself, to know your own value and worth, is something I think a lot of young girls struggle with and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/trying-to-love-yourself-to-know-your-own-value-and-worth-is-something/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [For what it's worth, I think you're beautiful just the way you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-what-it-s-worth-i-think-you-re-beautiful-just-the-way-you-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You’re worth more than you think. You just have to believe that; then everyone else will too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-perez/you-re-worth-more-than-you-think-you-just-have-to-believe-that-then/) [Kathryn Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-perez/) > [A dollar is not worth as much as you think it is. Your honesty is worth much more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-boone-pickens/a-dollar-is-not-worth-as-much-as-you-think-it-is-your-honesty-is/) [T. Boone Pickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-boone-pickens/) ## More by Gustave Courbet > [“Art in painting should consist only of the representation of things that are visible and tangible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/art-in-painting-should-consist-only-of-the-representation-of-things/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [Titles have never given a just idea of things; were it otherwise, the work would be superfluous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/titles-have-never-given-a-just-idea-of-things-were-it-otherwise-the/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [I too am a government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/i-too-am-a-government/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [When I am dead, let it be said of me: he belonged to no school, to no church, to no institution, to no academy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/when-i-am-dead-let-it-be-said-of-me-he-belonged-to-no-school-to-no/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [“The title of Realist was thrust upon me just as the title of Romantic was imposed upon the men of 1830. Titles have never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/the-title-of-realist-was-thrust-upon-me-just-as-the-title-of-romantic/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [France is the only nation in which astoundingly small numbers of civilized patrons reside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/france-is-the-only-nation-in-which-astoundingly-small-numbers-of/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom; I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/i-am-not-one-who-was-born-in-the-custody-of-wisdom-i-am-one-who-is/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [Fine art is knowledge made visible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/fine-art-is-knowledge-made-visible/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [I have never seen an angel. Show me an angel, and I'll paint one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/i-have-never-seen-an-angel-show-me-an-angel-and-i-ll-paint-one/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [“The real artists are those who pick up their age exactly at the point to which it has been carried by preceding times. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/the-real-artists-are-those-who-pick-up-their-age-exactly-at-the-point/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [Painting is the representation of visible forms. The essence of realism is its negation of the ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/painting-is-the-representation-of-visible-forms-the-essence-of/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [I hope always to earn my living by my art without having ever deviated by even a hair's breadth from my principles... to please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/i-hope-always-to-earn-my-living-by-my-art-without-having-ever/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [Without trying to clear up the degree of correctness of a qualification which no one, one must hope, will be asked to understand exactly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/without-trying-to-clear-up-the-degree-of-correctness-of-a/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [Beauty, like truth, is relative to the time when one lives and to the individual who can grasp it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/beauty-like-truth-is-relative-to-the-time-when-one-lives-and-to-the/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) > [On the left is the realist tradition of the 19th century, with its impulse to social description, radical criticism and meditation on things as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-courbet/on-the-left-is-the-realist-tradition-of-the-19th-century-with-its/) [Gustave Courbet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) [Explore all 39 Gustave Courbet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-courbet/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. 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But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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