"The honor is overpaid, When he that did the act is commentator"
- James Shirley
About this Quote
This quote by James Shirley is a commentary on the concept of honor and recognition. He is recommending that when the individual who has done the act is the one who is discussing it, the honor is paid too much. This could be interpreted in a couple of methods. Firstly, it might be viewed as a criticism of people who are too fast to praise themselves for their own achievements. It might also be viewed as a criticism of those who are too excited to give themselves acknowledgment and appreciation, without considering the efforts of others. Finally, it could be viewed as a reminder that real honor and recognition should come from others, not from oneself. In any case, Shirley is suggesting that when the person who has done the act is the one who is talking about it, the honor is overpaid.
"It is an honor to be awarded with such a high rating from an organization as well respected as the NAACP. I am pleased that the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the nation, has recognized my voting record"
"I think Ginsberg has done more harm to the craft that I honor and live by than anybody else by reducing it to a kind of mean that enables the most dubious practitioners to claim they are poets because they think, If the kind of thing Ginsberg does is poetry, I can do that"