Vanity
In conventional parlance, vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others (Stephen LaMarche). Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility. The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic synonym for vanity, but originally meant boasting in vain, i.e. unjustified boasting; although glory is now seen as having an exclusively positive meaning, the Latin term gloria (from which it derives) roughly means boasting, and was often used as a negative criticism.
Read more about Vanity.
Famous quotes containing the word vanity:
“Vanity well fed is benevolent. Vanity hungry is spiteful.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything, and finally that what one calls conscience is only inner vanity.”
—Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880)
“The vanity of others offends our taste only when it offends our vanity.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)