"Example has more followers than reason. We unconsciously imitate what pleases us, and approximate to the characters we most admire"
About this Quote
Example is the stealth leader of human behavior: it doesn`t argue, it simply recruits. Bovee is pushing back against the flattering Enlightenment idea that we move through life like tiny philosophers, weighing evidence and choosing the best path. His line is blunt about the real hierarchy: reason might win debates, but example wins people. Not because we`re stupid, but because we`re social. We learn fastest by watching what gets rewarded, admired, repeated.
The subtext is quietly unsettling. "We unconsciously imitate" reframes imitation as reflex, not moral choice. Even our tastes are implicated: we copy "what pleases us", meaning desire becomes a kind of Trojan horse for influence. If something delights us - a charismatic leader, a glamorous lifestyle, a heroic persona - it bypasses skepticism and rewires our standards. Reason shows up late, often as a press secretary, explaining decisions already made by appetite and belonging.
Bovee writes from a 19th-century moral-literary culture obsessed with "character" as destiny, when self-making was preached but social conformity was rampant. The second clause sharpens the warning: we don`t just borrow behaviors; we "approximate" to admired characters, gradually sculpting ourselves around an external template. It`s an early diagnosis of what we now call parasocial modeling and aspirational branding.
The intent, then, isn`t anti-reason so much as pro-responsibility: choose your exemplars carefully, because they`ll be doing your thinking for you long before you notice.
The subtext is quietly unsettling. "We unconsciously imitate" reframes imitation as reflex, not moral choice. Even our tastes are implicated: we copy "what pleases us", meaning desire becomes a kind of Trojan horse for influence. If something delights us - a charismatic leader, a glamorous lifestyle, a heroic persona - it bypasses skepticism and rewires our standards. Reason shows up late, often as a press secretary, explaining decisions already made by appetite and belonging.
Bovee writes from a 19th-century moral-literary culture obsessed with "character" as destiny, when self-making was preached but social conformity was rampant. The second clause sharpens the warning: we don`t just borrow behaviors; we "approximate" to admired characters, gradually sculpting ourselves around an external template. It`s an early diagnosis of what we now call parasocial modeling and aspirational branding.
The intent, then, isn`t anti-reason so much as pro-responsibility: choose your exemplars carefully, because they`ll be doing your thinking for you long before you notice.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
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