--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A man--poet, prophet, or whatever be may…" description: "\"A man--poet, prophet, or whatever be may be--readily persuades himself of his right to all the worship that is voluntarily tendered.\" — Nathaniel Hawth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_conceit_a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be_484069.jpg" --- # A man--poet, prophet, or whatever be may be--readily… ![“A man--poet, prophet, or whatever be may be--readily persuades himself of his right to all the worship that is voluntarily tendered.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_conceit_a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be_484069.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_conceit_a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be_484069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_conceit_a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be_484069.jpg) > “A man--poet, prophet, or whatever be may be--readily persuades himself of his right to all the worship that is voluntarily tendered.” [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person can convince themselves they deserve admiration, even when that admiration is given freely by others. **In simple terms:** Self‑justification of earned admiration. Key Takeaway Question your motives for seeking praise. Themes pride self‑image validation Mood reflective critical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership - public speaking - social media Key Concepts psychology ego social influence Questions to Reflect On - Do you seek approval for genuine merit or personal ego? - How does voluntary admiration differ from coerced loyalty? A Different Perspective Recognition can be fleeting and dependent on others' willingness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceit/) [Man Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-poet-748160/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Persuades Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuades-right-4156940/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [Prophet Readily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet-readily-4156937/) [Readily Persuades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readily-persuades-4156939/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) [Worship Voluntarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship-voluntarily-4156938/) ## Related quotes > [Man is the poet who kills, Woman the angel who eats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-bear/man-is-the-poet-who-kills-woman-the-angel-who-eats/) [Greg Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-bear/) > [Love manufactures every man into a poet while the fever lasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-campbell-praed/love-manufactures-every-man-into-a-poet-while-the-fever-lasts/) [Rosa Campbell Praed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-campbell-praed/) > [Memory is each man's poet-in-residence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kunitz/memory-is-each-man-s-poet-in-residence/) [Stanley Kunitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kunitz/) > [Great men are rare, poets are rarer, but the great man who is a poet, transfiguring his greatness, is the rarest of all events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-drinkwater/great-men-are-rare-poets-are-rarer-but-the-great-man-who-is-a-poet/) [John Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-drinkwater/) > [A man is a poet if difficulties inherent in his art provide him with ideas; he is not a poet if they deprive him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/a-man-is-a-poet-if-difficulties-inherent-in-his-art-provide-him-with/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“Hey, Babe." The man was a poet. "Hey." I was too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-clayton/hey-babe-the-man-was-a-poet-hey-i-was-too/) [Alice Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-clayton/) > [“Every man is a poet at heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/every-man-is-a-poet-at-heart/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [For a man to become a poet (witness Petrarch and Dante), he must be in love, or miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/for-a-man-to-become-a-poet-witness-petrarch-and-dante-he-must-be-in/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [The perfect man? A poet on a motorcycle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucinda-williams/the-perfect-man-a-poet-on-a-motorcycle/) [Lucinda Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucinda-williams/) > [One more royal trait properly belongs to the poet. I mean his cheerfulness, without which no man can be a poet,--for beauty is his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/one-more-royal-trait-properly-belongs-to-the-poet-i-mean-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [An exact poetic duplication of a man is for the poet a negation of the earth, an impossibility of being, even though his greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvatore-quasimodo/an-exact-poetic-duplication-of-a-man-is-for-the-poet-a-negation-of/) [Salvatore Quasimodo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvatore-quasimodo/) > [Let us define 'man' as a poet perpetually conspiring against himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/let-us-define-man-as-a-poet-perpetually-conspiring-against-himself/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [A poet who is a bad man is a degraded being, baser and more culpable than a bad man who is not a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/a-poet-who-is-a-bad-man-is-a-degraded-being-baser-and-more-culpable/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [A mighty good sausage stuffer was spoiled when the man became a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-field/a-mighty-good-sausage-stuffer-was-spoiled-when-the-man-became-a-poet/) [Eugene Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-field/) > [Every man is a poet when he is in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/every-man-is-a-poet-when-he-is-in-love/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) [Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## More Conceit quotes > [“A session of boasting won't attract any real friends.  It will set you up on a pedestal, however, making you a clearer target.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-session-of-boasting-won-t-attract-any-real-friends-it-will-set-you/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Conceit is a sure sign of insecurity; humility denotes awareness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivaya-subramuniyaswami/conceit-is-a-sure-sign-of-insecurity-humility-denotes-awareness/) [Sivaya Subramuniyaswami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivaya-subramuniyaswami/) > [Conceit is a weird disease - it makes everybody sick except the guy who has it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dobson/conceit-is-a-weird-disease-it-makes-everybody-sick-except-the-guy-who/) [James Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dobson/) > [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/) > [History repeats the old conceits, the glib replies, the same defeats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/history-repeats-the-old-conceits-the-glib-replies-the-same-defeats/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [Being carefree, you can fit in anywhere. If you’re not carefree you keep on bumping up against things. Your life becomes so narrow, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsoknyi-rinpoche/being-carefree-you-can-fit-in-anywhere-if-you-re-not-carefree-you/) [Tsoknyi Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsoknyi-rinpoche/) > [This man, who for twenty-five years has been reading and writing about art, and in all that time has never understood anything about art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/this-man-who-for-twenty-five-years-has-been-reading-and-writing-about/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [There is nothing like a good bit of pain for taking the conceit out of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-welsh-carlyle/there-is-nothing-like-a-good-bit-of-pain-for-taking-the-conceit-out/) [Jane Welsh Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-welsh-carlyle/) > [If you want to conquer conceit, do not desire praise, laurels, nice garments, respect, favor, but like to be blamed and slandered by people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-aleksandrovich-antonov/if-you-want-to-conquer-conceit-do-not-desire-praise-laurels-nice/) [Vladimir Aleksandrovich Antonov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-aleksandrovich-antonov/) > [The smaller the mind, the greater the ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-smaller-the-mind-the-greater-the-ego/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [If a man thinks he is not conceited, he is very conceited indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-man-thinks-he-is-not-conceited-he-is-very-conceited-indeed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is simple ignorance, which is the source of lighter offenses, and double ignorance, which is accompanied by a conceit of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/there-is-simple-ignorance-which-is-the-source-of-lighter-offenses-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Jesus regularly visualized the success of his efforts ... 'I always do what pleases God.' ... Was this conceit? Or was it enlightened creativity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/jesus-regularly-visualized-the-success-of-his-efforts-i-always-do/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [“Took long enough,” she called out, not wanting to admit how the sight of him made her throat hitch, how the man was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mcintyre/took-long-enough-she-called-out-not-wanting-to-admit-how-the-sight-of/) [Katherine McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mcintyre/) [Browse all 360 Conceit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A man--poet, prophet, or whatever be may be--readily persuades himself of his right to all the worship that is voluntarily tendered.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be-readily-persuades-himself-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conceit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be-readily-persuades-himself-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_conceit_a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be_484069.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_conceit_a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be_484069.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_conceit_a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be_484069.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A man--poet, prophet, or whatever be may be--readily persuades himself of his right to all the worship that…” — Nathaniel Hawthorne", "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A man--poet, prophet, or whatever be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be-readily-persuades-himself-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/a-man-poet-prophet-or-whatever-be-may-be-readily-persuades-himself-of/#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 } } ] } ```