--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Renown is something people have always…" description: "\"Renown is something people have always wanted, but maybe what's modern is that it's considered a virtue, this desire, rather than a vice. I might be wr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/sheila-heti-2776_desire_renown-is-something-people-have-always-w_291694.jpg" --- # Renown is something people have always wanted, but maybe… ![“Renown is something people have always wanted, but maybe what's modern is that it's considered a virtue, this desire, rather than a vice. I might be wrong about this.” quote by Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/sheila-heti-2776_desire_renown-is-something-people-have-always-w_291694.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/sheila-heti-2776_desire_renown-is-something-people-have-always-w_291694.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/sheila-heti-2776_desire_renown-is-something-people-have-always-w_291694.jpg) > “Renown is something people have always wanted, but maybe what's modern is that it's considered a virtue, this desire, rather than a vice. I might be wrong about this.” [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Renown historically seen as a vice, now often praised as a virtue, reflecting shifting cultural values about fame. **In simple terms:** Fame used to be bad, now it's seen as good. Key Takeaway Question how you define success beyond fame. Themes culture fame virtue identity societal norms Mood reflective critical contemplative Type observational philosophical sociological When to use this quote - career advancement - social media presence - public speaking - personal branding Key Concepts social psychology value shift reputation management Questions to Reflect On - Do you equate fame with worth? - How does society reward visibility over substance? A Different Perspective The praise of fame can overlook its negative impacts on mental health and authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [“It results from the preceding considerations, that there is in reality nothing desired except happiness. Whatever is desired otherwise than as a means to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/it-results-from-the-preceding-considerations-that-there-is-in-reality/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“Virtue is the desire of things honourable and the power of attaining them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/virtue-is-the-desire-of-things-honourable-and-the-power-of-attaining/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [To love their country has been considered as virtue in men, whose love could not be otherwise than blind, because their preference was made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/to-love-their-country-has-been-considered-as-virtue-in-men-whose-love-2/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I was brought up in an era when thrift was still considered a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-brought-up-in-an-era-when-thrift-was-still-considered-a-virtue/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Full revelation, she couldn't help feeling, was something which was considered a virtue only among the reckless or the cruel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-vickers/full-revelation-she-couldn-t-help-feeling-was-something-which-was/) [Sally Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-vickers/) > [Open-mindedness is considered to be a virtue. But, strictly speaking, it cannot occur. A new experience must be redacted into old categories. We cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/open-mindedness-is-considered-to-be-a-virtue-but-strictly-speaking-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Blind submission in women is considered a virtue, while submission to wrong is itself wrong, and resistance to wrong is virtue alike in women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernestine-rose/blind-submission-in-women-is-considered-a-virtue-while-submission-to/) [Ernestine Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernestine-rose/) > [“The real reason that nonviolence is considered to be a virtue in Negroes— I am not speaking now of its racial value, another matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-real-reason-that-nonviolence-is-considered-to-be-a-virtue-in/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [It was considered a virtue not to talk unnecessarily at sea...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-considered-a-virtue-not-to-talk-unnecessarily-at-sea/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [To love their country has been considered as virtue in men, whose love could not be otherwise than blind, because their preference was made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/to-love-their-country-has-been-considered-as-virtue-in-men-whose-love/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [To set the cause above renown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-newbolt/to-set-the-cause-above-renown/) [Henry Newbolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-newbolt/) > [There are decades in the making of the one man of renown; Multitudes that go unnoticed who must wreathe for him a crown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/there-are-decades-in-the-making-of-the-one-man-of-renown-multitudes/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [It is not possible to be regarded with tenderness, except by a few. That merit which gives greatness and renown diffuses its influence to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-not-possible-to-be-regarded-with-tenderness-except-by-a-few/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [He, who practices right, but in the hope of acquiring great renown, is very near to vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-who-practices-right-but-in-the-hope-of-acquiring-great-renown-is/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Wood burns because it has the proper stuff for that purpose in it; and a man becomes renowned because he has the necessary stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/wood-burns-because-it-has-the-proper-stuff-for-that-purpose-in-it-and/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) ## More by Sheila Heti > [I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-every-book-that-is-written/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I really enjoyed the process of 'Women in Clothes,' but there's no way I would have done that again. It felt more like being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-really-enjoyed-the-process-of-women-in-clothes-but-there-s-no-way-i/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“style is about knowing what you like and why you like it, more than anything else. GRACE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/style-is-about-knowing-what-you-like-and-why-you-like-it-more-than/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I'd rather that people could be both entertained and given rest while reading my book than for someone to have to put the book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-d-rather-that-people-could-be-both-entertained-and-given-rest-while/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“I know that character exists from the outside alone. I know that inside the body there's just temperature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-know-that-character-exists-from-the-outside-alone-i-know-that/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I don't think about the reader when I'm writing, but I do when I'm editing, of course. For instance, I self-consciously didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-don-t-think-about-the-reader-when-i-m-writing-but-i-do-when-i-m/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [He’s just another man who wants to teach me something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/he-s-just-another-man-who-wants-to-teach-me-something/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“She had thought that when someone died, it would be like they went into a different room. She had not known that life itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/she-had-thought-that-when-someone-died-it-would-be-like-they-went/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [It's so weird how our existence hinges on just absolute crazy chance, but it feels so essential. It's like, 'Nothing would be here if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/it-s-so-weird-how-our-existence-hinges-on-just-absolute-crazy-chance/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [In 'Sweet Days of Discipline,' the narrator, years after graduating, fortuitously encounters her old friend Frederique at a movie theatre. Frederique invites her home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/in-sweet-days-of-discipline-the-narrator-years-after-graduating/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [Every choice you make has higher stakes - or that's how it feels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/every-choice-you-make-has-higher-stakes-or-that-s-how-it-feels/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [Women without children can help mothers, and we can just be all in this together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/women-without-children-can-help-mothers-and-we-can-just-be-all-in/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [The reason I write is because I have questions. What I don't want is for people to forget that I'm a novelist and think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/the-reason-i-write-is-because-i-have-questions-what-i-don-t-want-is/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“But style, I also learned, is not about strictly copying others, because style is not transferable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/but-style-i-also-learned-is-not-about-strictly-copying-others-because/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [When I'm editing, I try to bring out some dramatic structure. I think it is about theater in some way; it is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/when-i-m-editing-i-try-to-bring-out-some-dramatic-structure-i-think/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) [Explore all 150 Sheila Heti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Renown is something people have always wanted, but maybe what's modern is that it's considered a virtue, this desire, rather than a vice. 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