--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men are seldom underrated; the mercury in…" description: "\"Men are seldom underrated; the mercury in a man finds its true level in the eyes of the world just as certainly as it does in the glass of a thermomete..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89d/josh-billings-777_appreciation_men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in_1627967.png" --- # Men are seldom underrated; the mercury in a man finds its… ![“Men are seldom underrated; the mercury in a man finds its true level in the eyes of the world just as certainly as it does in the glass of a thermometer.” quote by Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89d/josh-billings-777_appreciation_men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in_1627967.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89d/josh-billings-777_appreciation_men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in_1627967.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89d/josh-billings-777_appreciation_men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in_1627967.png) > “Men are seldom underrated; the mercury in a man finds its true level in the eyes of the world just as certainly as it does in the glass of a thermometer.” [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) ## 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 true character is revealed by how others perceive him, just as a thermometer shows temperature. **In simple terms:** Character shows through others' eyes. Key Takeaway Seek honest self‑assessment. Themes character perception integrity Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership evaluation - team dynamics Key Concepts psychology social perception self‑knowledge Questions to Reflect On - Do you align your self‑image with others' feedback? - How does external perception shape identity? A Different Perspective Self‑perception may differ from external views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercury/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Tis thus the mercury of man is fix'd, Strong grows the virtue with his nature mix'd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/tis-thus-the-mercury-of-man-is-fix-d-strong-grows-the-virtue-with-his/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [The largest pond is as sensitive to atmospheric changes as the globule of mercury in its tube.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-largest-pond-is-as-sensitive-to-atmospheric-changes-as-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/men-seldom-make-passes-at-girls-who-wear-glasses/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [. . . men seldom risk their lives where an escape is without hope of recompense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/men-seldom-risk-their-lives-where-an-escape-is-without-hope-of/) [Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/) > [Men seldom, or rather never for a length of time and deliberately, rebel against anything that does not deserve rebelling against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/men-seldom-or-rather-never-for-a-length-of-time-and-deliberately/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Men seldom act from a correct sense of what may be harmful or useful to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/men-seldom-act-from-a-correct-sense-of-what-may-be-harmful-or-useful/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/great-men-are-seldom-over-scrupulous-in-the-arrangement-of-their/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Men are seldom helpless against their own evil wishes, and in their souls they know it. But common men love flattery not less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-renault/men-are-seldom-helpless-against-their-own-evil-wishes-and-in-their/) [Mary Renault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-renault/) > [Men very seldom change, try though we will, beneath the shifts of exterior doctrine, our hearts so often remain what they were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-kempton/men-very-seldom-change-try-though-we-will-beneath-the-shifts-of/) [Murray Kempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-kempton/) > [A great cause of evil in the world is that men seldom think themselves criminal if they offer the same injustice to others that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/a-great-cause-of-evil-in-the-world-is-that-men-seldom-think/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Men seldom rise from low condition to high rank without employing either force or fraud, unless that rank should be attained either by gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-seldom-rise-from-low-condition-to-high-rank-without-employing/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [I believe in our side and theirs, with the good and evil decided after the fact, by those who survive. Among men you seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-cook/i-believe-in-our-side-and-theirs-with-the-good-and-evil-decided-after/) [Glen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-cook/) > [One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-of-the-great-tragedies-of-life-is-that-men-seldom-bridge-the-gulf/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Men seldom persevere in a vocation unless they believe or can convince themselves that it is fundamentally more important than anyother calling. Women are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unless-they-believe-or-can/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Men seldom understand any laws but those they feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-george-savile-8th-baronet/men-seldom-understand-any-laws-but-those-they-feel/) [Sir George Savile, 8th Baronet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-george-savile-8th-baronet/) ## More by Josh Billings > [It ain't because lovers are so sensitive that they quarrel so often; it is because there is so much fun n the making up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/it-ain-t-because-lovers-are-so-sensitive-that-they-quarrel-so-often/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [There is only one good substitute for the endearments of a sister, and that is the endearments of some other fellow's sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-only-one-good-substitute-for-the-endearments-of-a-sister-and/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up depends on the stuff he's made of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/life-is-a-grindstone-and-whether-it-grinds-a-man-down-or-polishes-him/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Its harly my dog A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/its-harly-my-dog-a-dog-is-the-only-thing-on-earth-that-loves-you-more/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Perseverance is king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/perseverance-is-king/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Unless we put heart and soul into our labor we but brutify our actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/unless-we-put-heart-and-soul-into-our-labor-we-but-brutify-our-actions/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [A secret ceases to be a secret if it is once confided - it is like a dollar bill, once broken, it is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/a-secret-ceases-to-be-a-secret-if-it-is-once-confided-it-is-like-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [If a man is right, he can't be too radical; if he is wrong, he can't be too conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/if-a-man-is-right-he-can-t-be-too-radical-if-he-is-wrong-he-can-t-be/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [As a general rule, if you want to get at the truth - hear both sides and believe neither.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/as-a-general-rule-if-you-want-to-get-at-the-truth-hear-both-sides-and/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Economy is a savings-bank, into which men drop pennies, and get dollars in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/economy-is-a-savings-bank-into-which-men-drop-pennies-and-get-dollars/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Self-made men are most always apt to be a little too proud of the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/self-made-men-are-most-always-apt-to-be-a-little-too-proud-of-the-job/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Poverty is one of them kind of misfortunes that we all of us dread but none of us pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/poverty-is-one-of-them-kind-of-misfortunes-that-we-all-of-us-dread/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [If the world despises a hypocrite, what must they think of him in heaven?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/if-the-world-despises-a-hypocrite-what-must-they-think-of-him-in/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [The man who gets bit twice by the same dog is better adapted for that kind of business than any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/the-man-who-gets-bit-twice-by-the-same-dog-is-better-adapted-for-that/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) [Explore all 372 Josh Billings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) ## More Appreciation quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/) Cesar Nikko Caharian III > [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/) Enhance Dreams > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Men are seldom underrated; the mercury in a man finds its true level in the eyes of the world just as certainly as it does in the glass of a thermometer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Billings" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in-a-man-finds-its-true-level/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appreciation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in-a-man-finds-its-true-level/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89d/josh-billings-777_appreciation_men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in_1627967.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89d/josh-billings-777_appreciation_men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in_1627967.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89d/josh-billings-777_appreciation_men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in_1627967.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Men are seldom underrated; the mercury in a man finds its true level in the eyes of the world just as…” — Josh Billings", "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": "Josh Billings", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Men are seldom underrated; the mercury...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in-a-man-finds-its-true-level/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/men-are-seldom-underrated-the-mercury-in-a-man-finds-its-true-level/#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 } } ] } ```