--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the vain speaker has sat down, and…" description: "\"When the vain speaker has sat down, and the people say 'what a good speech,' it still takes an ounce to balance an ounce.\" — Ralph Waldo Emerson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_balance_when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-t_1803292.png" --- # When the vain speaker has sat down, and the people say… ![“When the vain speaker has sat down, and the people say 'what a good speech,' it still takes an ounce to balance an ounce.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_balance_when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-t_1803292.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_balance_when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-t_1803292.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_balance_when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-t_1803292.png) > “When the vain speaker has sat down, and the people say 'what a good speech,' it still takes an ounce to balance an ounce.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He critiques empty applause, emphasizing that true balance requires personal effort, not just external praise. **In simple terms:** External praise is insufficient without personal effort. Key Takeaway Value inner effort over applause. Themes humility self-reliance critique Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - public speaking - leadership - creative work Key Concepts ego social validation authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What internal standards guide you? - How do you handle empty praise? A Different Perspective People may still praise superficial work; balance is subjective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Balance Ounce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance-ounce-2051243/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Down and](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/) [Good Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-speech-592960/) [Ounce Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ounce-balance-2051245/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sat/) [Speakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speakers/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Takes Ounce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/takes-ounce-2051244/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) [Vain Speaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain-speaker-2051242/) ## Related quotes > [Success goes thus invariably with a certain plus or positive power: an ounce of power must balance an ounce of weight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/success-goes-thus-invariably-with-a-certain-plus-or-positive-power-an/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“It is the best of humanity, I think, that goes out to walk. In happy hours all affairs may be wisely postponed for this.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-the-best-of-humanity-i-think-that-goes-out-to-walk-in-happy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“A good speech is like a miniskirt--long enough to over all the vital parts, short enough to entice and captivate listeners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naa-shalman/a-good-speech-is-like-a-miniskirt-long-enough-to-over-all-the-vital/) [Naa Shalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naa-shalman/) > [“Maxims of Ptahhotep spoke a lot of sense; 'Do not be arrogant because of your knowledge, but confer with the ignorant man as with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/maxims-of-ptahhotep-spoke-a-lot-of-sense-do-not-be-arrogant-because/) [Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/) > [To have much learning, to be skillful in handicraft, well-trained in discipline, and to be of good speech -- this is the greatest blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/to-have-much-learning-to-be-skillful-in-handicraft-well-trained-in/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [No man not inspired can make a good speech without preparation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/no-man-not-inspired-can-make-a-good-speech-without-preparation/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [“A good speech should be a like a woman’s skirt: long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest. —WINSTON CHURCHILL”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/a-good-speech-should-be-a-like-a-woman-s-skirt-long-enough-to-cover/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [A good speech has a beginning, a middle and an end, the best example being, 'I love you.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-speech-has-a-beginning-a-middle-and-an-end-the-best-example/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best answer to bad speech is good speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-answer-to-bad-speech-is-good-speech/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A good traveler leaves no tracks. Good speech lacks fault-finding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-traveler-leaves-no-tracks-good-speech-lacks-fault-finding/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A good speech is like a woman's skirt: short enough to hold your attention, long enough to cover the subject”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/a-good-speech-is-like-a-woman-s-skirt-short-enough-to-hold-your/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [It was a good speech, but the reaction was due to the fact that politics are madness, and even if one does not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/it-was-a-good-speech-but-the-reaction-was-due-to-the-fact-that/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [ Getting a lot of applause, announcing military reforms and upgrades. It's a really good speech \[of Donald Trump\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/getting-a-lot-of-applause-announcing-military-reforms-and-upgrades-it/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [As I've been acting since I was young it's taught me to give a good speech, and, though I say so myself, I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-krohn/as-i-ve-been-acting-since-i-was-young-it-s-taught-me-to-give-a-good/) [Jonathan Krohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-krohn/) > [That was a good speech, Lloyd. 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Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. 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Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the vain speaker has sat down, and the people say 'what a good speech,' it still takes an ounce to balance an ounce.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-the-people-say-what-a-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-the-people-say-what-a-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_balance_when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-t_1803292.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_balance_when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-t_1803292.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_balance_when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-t_1803292.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When the vain speaker has sat down, and the people say 'what a good speech,' it still takes an ounce to…” — Ralph Waldo Emerson", "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": "Ralph Waldo Emerson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When the vain speaker has sat...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-the-people-say-what-a-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/when-the-vain-speaker-has-sat-down-and-the-people-say-what-a-good/#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 } } ] } ```