--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good opinion of ourselves is…" description: "\"“A good opinion of ourselves is exceedingly necessary in private life, but absolutely necessary in public life, and of the utmost importance in support..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/420/thomas-paine-267_character_a-good-opinion-of-ourselves-is-exceeding_492121.jpg" --- # A good opinion of ourselves is exceedingly necessary in… ![“A good opinion of ourselves is exceedingly necessary in private life, but absolutely necessary in public life, and of the utmost importance in supporting national character.” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/420/thomas-paine-267_character_a-good-opinion-of-ourselves-is-exceeding_492121.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/420/thomas-paine-267_character_a-good-opinion-of-ourselves-is-exceeding_492121.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/420/thomas-paine-267_character_a-good-opinion-of-ourselves-is-exceeding_492121.jpg) > ““A good opinion of ourselves is exceedingly necessary in private life, but absolutely necessary in public life, and of the utmost importance in supporting national character.”” [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑respect is essential privately and publicly, shaping personal conduct and national character. **In simple terms:** Respect yourself to shape society. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑respect for personal and civic health. Themes self‑esteem public duty national identity ethics Mood inspirational thought‑provoking Type political philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - education - public speaking - policy making Key Concepts political philosophy psychology civic virtue Questions to Reflect On - How does personal confidence affect public responsibility? - Can a nation thrive without individual self‑respect? A Different Perspective Self‑respect alone cannot fix societal flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Private life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-life/) [Public life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-life/) ## Related quotes > [It is not necessary for the public to know whether I am joking or whether I am serious, just as it is not necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/it-is-not-necessary-for-the-public-to-know-whether-i-am-joking-or/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [I feel like I know it is from my heart and God knows it is for a good cause, it is not necessary to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-owens/i-feel-like-i-know-it-is-from-my-heart-and-god-knows-it-is-for-a-good/) [Terrell Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-owens/) > [It is a fundamental rule with me not to vote for a loan or tax bill till I am satisfied it is necessary for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-calhoun/it-is-a-fundamental-rule-with-me-not-to-vote-for-a-loan-or-tax-bill/) [John C. Calhoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-calhoun/) > [Sometimes a great example is necessary to all the public functionaries of the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/sometimes-a-great-example-is-necessary-to-all-the-public/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-citizenship-in-the-united-states-is-our-national-character-our/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [My life philosophy is that you need a boring private life if you want to have a more exciting public life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/my-life-philosophy-is-that-you-need-a-boring-private-life-if-you-want/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) > [For most of my life, I did deliberately lead a private life and inadvertently led a public life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/for-most-of-my-life-i-did-deliberately-lead-a-private-life-and/) [Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/) > [There is no private life which has not been determined by a wider public life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-is-no-private-life-which-has-not-been-determined-by-a-wider/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Public lives are lived out on the job and in the marketplace, where certain rules, conventions, laws, and social customs keep most of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/public-lives-are-lived-out-on-the-job-and-in-the-marketplace-where/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [The drama of the essay is the way the public life intersects with my personal and private life. It's in that intersection that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/the-drama-of-the-essay-is-the-way-the-public-life-intersects-with-my/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [I always felt, and I still feel, that the media doesn't belong in a public official's private life. 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Let him believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) [Explore all 772 Thomas Paine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## 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. 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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. 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