---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men, I still think, ought to be weighed…"
description: "\"“Men, I still think, ought to be weighed, not counted. Their worth ought to be the final estimate of their value.”\" — Samuel Taylor Coleridge"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_character_men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-no_1554035.jpg"
---

#  Men, I still think, ought to be weighed, not counted…

![“Men, I still think, ought to be weighed, not counted. Their worth ought to be the final estimate of their value.” quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_character_men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-no_1554035.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_character_men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-no_1554035.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_character_men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-no_1554035.jpg)

> ““Men, I still think, ought to be weighed, not counted. Their worth ought to be the final estimate of their value.””

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

## 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’s true value should be measured by worth, not by numbers.

**In simple terms:** Worth, not numbers, defines value.

Key Takeaway

Assess value by character.

Themes

valuation human worth ethical measurement philosophy

Mood

thought‑provoking critical

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- employment
- education
- legal judgments

Key Concepts

moral philosophy human dignity social justice

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies implement non‑numeric worth assessments?
- What dangers arise from subjective valuation?

A Different Perspective

May ignore practical metrics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Romanticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romanticism/)

## Related quotes

> [Men, I still think, ought to be weighed not counted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-not-counted/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Men, I think, have to be weighed, not counted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/men-i-think-have-to-be-weighed-not-counted/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Nothing ought to be more weighed than the nature of books recommended by public authority. So recommended, they soon form the character of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/nothing-ought-to-be-more-weighed-than-the-nature-of-books-recommended/)

[Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/)

> [Some who are not paid what they are worth ought to be glad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/some-who-are-not-paid-what-they-are-worth-ought-to-be-glad/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Votes should be weighed not counted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/votes-should-be-weighed-not-counted/)

[Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/)

> [“Do you feel no compunction, Socrates, at having followed a line of action which puts you in danger of the death penalty?' I might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/do-you-feel-no-compunction-socrates-at-having-followed-a-line-of/)

[Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/)

> [You are mistaken, my friend, if you think that a man who is worth anything ought to spend his time weighing up the prospects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-are-mistaken-my-friend-if-you-think-that-a-man-who-is-worth/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Earnest men never think in vain, though their thoughts may be errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/earnest-men-never-think-in-vain-though-their-thoughts-may-be-errors/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [A woman isn't as old as she thinks she is. She's as old as men think she is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-burke/a-woman-isn-t-as-old-as-she-thinks-she-is-she-s-as-old-as-men-think/)

[Billie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-burke/)

> [Writing is for men who can think and feel, not mindless sensation seekers out of nightclubs and bars. But these are bad times. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/writing-is-for-men-who-can-think-and-feel-not-mindless-sensation/)

[Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/)

> [“this is the great secret, which was known to all educated men in our day: that by what men think, we create the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-zimmer-bradley/this-is-the-great-secret-which-was-known-to-all-educated-men-in-our/)

[Marion Zimmer Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-zimmer-bradley/)

> [“Wise men think and speak alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/wise-men-think-and-speak-alike/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [I used to look at gay men and think, 'I'm not like that, I don't want to be like that, that's not me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/i-used-to-look-at-gay-men-and-think-i-m-not-like-that-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/)

> [Men think that not being able to wire a plug somehow makes them more creative or intellectual. It just makes them morons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-may/men-think-that-not-being-able-to-wire-a-plug-somehow-makes-them-more/)

[James May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-may/)

> [“I think men think about their penises as much as women think about molestation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-leigh-stewart/i-think-men-think-about-their-penises-as-much-as-women-think-about/)

[Christy Leigh Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-leigh-stewart/)

## More by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

> [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/and-the-devil-did-grin-for-his-darling-sin-is-pride-that-apes-humility/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Facts are not truths; they are not conclusions; they are not even premises, but in the nature and parts of premises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/facts-are-not-truths-they-are-not-conclusions-they-are-not-even/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [I do not wish you to act from these truths; no, still and always act from your feelings; only meditate often on these truths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-do-not-wish-you-to-act-from-these-truths-no-still-and-always-act/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. Examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/a-poet-ought-not-to-pick-nature-s-pocket-let-him-borrow-and-so-borrow/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Ignorance seldom vaults into knowledge...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/ignorance-seldom-vaults-into-knowledge/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee, Whether the summer clothe the general earth With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing Betwixt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/therefore-all-seasons-shall-be-sweet-to-thee-whether-the-summer/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Why are not more gems from our great authors scattered over the country? Great books are not in everybody's reach; and though it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/why-are-not-more-gems-from-our-great-authors-scattered-over-the/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Life went a-maying With Nature, Hope, and Poesy, When I was young!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/life-went-a-maying-with-nature-hope-and-poesy-when-i-was-young/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [No voice; but oh - the silence sank Like music on my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/no-voice-but-oh-the-silence-sank-like-music-on-my-heart/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [The three great ends which a statesman ought to propose to himself in the government of a nation, are 1. Security to possessors; 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-three-great-ends-which-a-statesman-ought-to-propose-to-himself-in/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [“We in ourselves rejoice! And thence flows all that charms or ear or sight, All melodies the echoes of that voice, All colours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/we-in-ourselves-rejoice-and-thence-flows-all-that-charms-or-ear-or/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

[Explore all 570 Samuel Taylor Coleridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

## 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. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/)

David Hudgins

> [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/)

[Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. 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. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/)

[Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

[Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Men, I still think, ought to be weighed, not counted. Their worth ought to be the final estimate of their value.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-not-counted-their-worth-ought/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Character"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-not-counted-their-worth-ought/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_character_men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-no_1554035.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_character_men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-no_1554035.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_character_men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-no_1554035.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Men, I still think, ought to be weighed, not counted. Their worth ought to be the final estimate of their…” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge",
                "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": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Men, I still think, ought to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-not-counted-their-worth-ought/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/men-i-still-think-ought-to-be-weighed-not-counted-their-worth-ought/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```