Cost of Glory 70 - How to Praise Oneself Inoffensively - Part 2
Aug 17, 2023
This podcast explores how to praise oneself in an inoffensive way, using historical examples of great leaders from Greece and Rome such as Phocion, Agathocles, Pericles, Sulla, and Themistocles. It emphasizes the importance of praising oneself during difficult times, attributing success to luck or the favor of the gods, and adjusting compliments to appear humble and likeable.
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Pride In Misfortune Signals Resolve
- Praising yourself while suffering can signal courage rather than vanity to observers.
- Misfortune removes envy and makes self-assertion look resolute and inspiring.
Fotian’s Dignified Reproach
- Fotian, condemned unjustly, told a fellow condemned man to be proud to die with him.
- This remark reframed injustice as an occasion for dignity and self-assertion.
Themistocles’ Shelter Metaphor
- Themistocles reminded Athenians they sought shelter under him in storms but plucked his leaves in fair weather.
- He used this to assert past services when public favor waned.