"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's quote recommends that vanity is the root of all human behavior and that what we view as conscience is just a symptom of our own vanity. He indicates that our sense of morality is driven by our own self-interest which our conscience is a reflection of our own vanity. This idea suggests that our moral decisions are based upon our own desires and that our conscience is merely a way of validating our own actions. Flaubert's quote implies that our sense of morality is not based on any external source, however rather on our own self-interest. This concept suggests that our ethical choices are driven by our own vanity which our conscience is just a way of justifying our own actions. Ultimately, Flaubert's quote implies that our sense of morality is based on our own vanity and that our conscience is simply a reflection of our own self-interest.