--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most ridiculous were those who, on…" description: "\"The most ridiculous were those who, on their own authority, made themselves the judges and justices of the tribe. They seemed never to suspect that our..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc1/paul-valery-1464_attitude_the-most-ridiculous-were-those-who-on-th_198227.jpg" --- # The most ridiculous were those who, on their own… ![“The most ridiculous were those who, on their own authority, made themselves the judges and justices of the tribe. They seemed never to suspect that our judgments judge us, and that nothing exposes our weaknesses and reveals ourselves more naively than the attitude of pronouncing upon our neighbors.” quote by Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc1/paul-valery-1464_attitude_the-most-ridiculous-were-those-who-on-th_198227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc1/paul-valery-1464_attitude_the-most-ridiculous-were-those-who-on-th_198227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc1/paul-valery-1464_attitude_the-most-ridiculous-were-those-who-on-th_198227.jpg) > “The most ridiculous were those who, on their own authority, made themselves the judges and justices of the tribe. They seemed never to suspect that our judgments judge us, and that nothing exposes our weaknesses and reveals ourselves more naively than the attitude of pronouncing upon our neighbors.” [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People who self‑appoint as ultimate judges often overlook that their own judgments reveal their flaws and naivety. **In simple terms:** Self‑appointed judges expose their own weaknesses. Key Takeaway Beware of judging others without self‑reflection. Themes authority self‑awareness judgment humility Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - leadership - conflict resolution - personal growth - team dynamics Key Concepts philosophy psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - Do you judge others without examining yourself? - How does self‑awareness change your judgments? A Different Perspective Self‑judgment can be biased and may not reflect true character. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Tribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribe/) [Tribes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribes/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) ## Related quotes > [My real name's McGill. The Jew thing I just do for the homeboys. They all want a pipe-hitting member of the tribe, so to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul/my-real-name-s-mcgill-the-jew-thing-i-just-do-for-the-homeboys-they/) [Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul/) > [A man's flesh is his own; the water belongs to the tribe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-man-s-flesh-is-his-own-the-water-belongs-to-the-tribe/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [It's not just human nature to associate in tribes. It's deeper than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peterson/it-s-not-just-human-nature-to-associate-in-tribes-it-s-deeper-than/) [Jordan Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peterson/) > [I'm of the people in the bar and the people in my stories. They are my tribe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/i-m-of-the-people-in-the-bar-and-the-people-in-my-stories-they-are-my/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [We must buy jewelry; it identifies us with our tribe, just as body piercing identifies those of a different tribe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-must-buy-jewelry-it-identifies-us-with-our-tribe-just-as-body/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [If you go back in time you'll find tribes that were essentially only concerned with their own tribal members. If you were a member…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/if-you-go-back-in-time-you-ll-find-tribes-that-were-essentially-only/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [What tribes are, is a very simple concept that goes back 50 million years. It's about leading and connecting people and ideas. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/what-tribes-are-is-a-very-simple-concept-that-goes-back-50-million/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Like any family, like any group - the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, EPMD, Public Enemy - they've had bumps in the road. I just think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/like-any-family-like-any-group-the-beatles-led-zeppelin-epmd-public/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [If you just take a single human and put him or her in the forest he or she might not do very well without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/if-you-just-take-a-single-human-and-put-him-or-her-in-the-forest-he/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Well, it's an ancestral tribe. These were immigrants from north of Germany who came here about the time of the Civil War, but anyway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/well-it-s-an-ancestral-tribe-these-were-immigrants-from-north-of/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [In ancient days, Deltora was divided into seven tribes. The tribesfought on their borders but otherwise stayed in their own place. Each had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rodda/in-ancient-days-deltora-was-divided-into-seven-tribes-the/) [Emily Rodda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rodda/) > [God is one; there are not many Gods, one for each tribe among men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/god-is-one-there-are-not-many-gods-one-for-each-tribe-among-men/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [Tribe follows tribe, nations follow nations like the tides of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/tribe-follows-tribe-nations-follow-nations-like-the-tides-of-the-sea/) [Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/) > [A tribe, let us say, is warlike. The successes for which it strives, the achievements upon which it sets store, are connected with fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-tribe-let-us-say-is-warlike-the-successes-for-which-it-strives-the/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [ ... the reason life works at all is that not everyone in your tribe is nuts on the same day. \[pp. 65-66\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-reason-life-works-at-all-is-that-not-everyone-in-your-tribe-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More by Paul Valery > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“O Socrates, the universe cannot for one instant endure to be only what it is. It is strange to think that that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/o-socrates-the-universe-cannot-for-one-instant-endure-to-be-only-what/) [Paul Valéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [We civilizations now know ourselves mortal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/we-civilizations-now-know-ourselves-mortal/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [It seems to me that the soul, when alone with itself and speaking to itself, uses only a small number of words, none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/it-seems-to-me-that-the-soul-when-alone-with-itself-and-speaking-to/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Serious people have few ideas. People with ideas are never serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/serious-people-have-few-ideas-people-with-ideas-are-never-serious/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“I am now going to make an admission. I confess, I agree, that all these good people who protested, who laughed, who did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/i-am-now-going-to-make-an-admission-i-confess-i-agree-that-all-these/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“Degas is one of the very few painters who have given the floor its true importance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/degas-is-one-of-the-very-few-painters-who-have-given-the-floor-its/) [Paul Valéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Politics is the art of preventing people from busying themselves with what is their own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/politics-is-the-art-of-preventing-people-from-busying-themselves-with/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [God created man and, finding him not sufficiently alone, gave him a companion to make him feel his solitude more keenly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/god-created-man-and-finding-him-not-sufficiently-alone-gave-him-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [The folly of mistaking oneself for an oracle is built right into us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/the-folly-of-mistaking-oneself-for-an-oracle-is-built-right-into-us/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Thought must be hidden in the verse like nutritional virtue in a fruit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/thought-must-be-hidden-in-the-verse-like-nutritional-virtue-in-a-fruit/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [To be sincere means to be the same person when one is with oneself; that is to say, alone - but that is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/to-be-sincere-means-to-be-the-same-person-when-one-is-with-oneself/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [No work of art is ever completed, it is only abandoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/no-work-of-art-is-ever-completed-it-is-only-abandoned/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Interruption, incoherence, surprise are the ordinary conditions of our life. They have even become real needs for many people, whose minds are no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/interruption-incoherence-surprise-are-the-ordinary-conditions-of-our/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Whatever we succeed in doing is a transformation of something we have failed to do. Thus, when we fail, it is only because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/whatever-we-succeed-in-doing-is-a-transformation-of-something-we-have/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) [Explore all 215 Paul Valery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) Isaiah Harden (Me > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) Sheye Hassan > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The most ridiculous were those who, on their own authority, made themselves the judges and justices of the tribe. 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