--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainly the most destructive vice if…" description: "\"“Certainly the most destructive vice if you like, that a person can have. More than pride, which is supposedly the number one of the cardinal sins - is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/stephen-fry-573_american-culture_certainly-the-most-destructive-vice-if-y_786445.png" --- # Certainly the most destructive vice if you like, that a… ![“Certainly the most destructive vice if you like, that a person can have. More than pride, which is supposedly the number one of the cardinal sins - is self pity. Self pity is the worst possible emotion anyone can have. And the most destructive. It is, to slightly paraphrase what Wilde said about…” quote by Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/stephen-fry-573_american-culture_certainly-the-most-destructive-vice-if-y_786445.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/stephen-fry-573_american-culture_certainly-the-most-destructive-vice-if-y_786445.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/166/stephen-fry-573_american-culture_certainly-the-most-destructive-vice-if-y_786445.png) > ““Certainly the most destructive vice if you like, that a person can have. More than pride, which is supposedly the number one of the cardinal sins - is self pity. Self pity is the worst possible emotion anyone can have. And the most destructive. It is, to slightly paraphrase what Wilde said about hatred, and I think actually hatred's a subset of self pity and not the other way around - ' It destroys everything around it, except itself '. Self pity will destroy relationships, it'll destroy anything that's good, it will fulfill all the prophecies it makes and leave only itself. And it's so simple to imagine that one is hard done by, and that things are unfair, and that one is underappreciated, and that if only one had had a chance at this, only one had had a chance at that, things would have gone better, you would be happier if only this, that one is unlucky. All those things. And some of them may well even be true. But, to pity oneself as a result of them is to do oneself an enormous disservice. I think it's one of things we find unattractive about the american culture, a culture which I find mostly, extremely attractive, and I like americans and I love being in america. But, just occasionally there will be some example of the absolutely ravening self pity that they are capable of, and you see it in their talk shows. It's an appalling spectacle, and it's so self destructive. I almost once wanted to publish a self help book saying 'How To Be Happy by Stephen Fry : Guaranteed success'. And people buy this huge book and it's all blank pages, and the first page would just say - ' Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself - And you will be happy '. Use the rest of the book to write down your interesting thoughts and drawings, and that's what the book would be, and it would be true. And it sounds like 'Oh that's so simple', because it's not simple to stop feeling sorry for yourself, it's bloody hard. Because we do feel sorry for ourselves, it's what Genesis is all about.”” [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self-pity is a corrosive emotion that harms relationships and personal growth, acting like hatred that only destroys outwardly **In simple terms:** Self-pity damages life and connections Key Takeaway Avoid self-pity to foster resilience Themes psychology emotions self-improvement Mood reflective motivational Type self-help philosophical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal journaling - support groups Key Concepts Self-pity destructive habits Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize self-pity? - What steps replace it with constructive action? A Different Perspective Self-pity can be a coping mechanism for trauma ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Blank page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-page/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Feeling sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-sorry/) [Feeling sorry for yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-sorry-for-yourself/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Marriage advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-advice/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Narcissism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narcissism/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Self destructive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-destructive/) [Self help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-help/) [Self improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-improvement/) [Self pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-pity/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sins/) [Stop feeling sorry for yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-feeling-sorry-for-yourself/) [Vice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vice/) ## Related quotes > [Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. 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More than pride, which is supposedly the number one of the cardinal sins - is self pity. Self pity is the worst possible emotion anyone can have. And the most destructive. It is, to slightly paraphrase what Wilde said about hatred, and I think actually hatred's a subset of self pity and not the other way around - ' It destroys everything around it, except itself '. Self pity will destroy relationships, it'll destroy anything that's good, it will fulfill all the prophecies it makes and leave only itself. And it's so simple to imagine that one is hard done by, and that things are unfair, and that one is underappreciated, and that if only one had had a chance at this, only one had had a chance at that, things would have gone better, you would be happier if only this, that one is unlucky. All those things. And some of them may well even be true. But, to pity oneself as a result of them is to do oneself an enormous disservice. I think it's one of things we find unattractive about the american culture, a culture which I find mostly, extremely attractive, and I like americans and I love being in america. But, just occasionally there will be some example of the absolutely ravening self pity that they are capable of, and you see it in their talk shows. It's an appalling spectacle, and it's so self destructive. I almost once wanted to publish a self help book saying 'How To Be Happy by Stephen Fry : Guaranteed success'. And people buy this huge book and it's all blank pages, and the first page would just say - ' Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself - And you will be happy '. Use the rest of the book to write down your interesting thoughts and drawings, and that's what the book would be, and it would be true. And it sounds like 'Oh that's so simple', because it's not simple to stop feeling sorry for yourself, it's bloody hard. 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