"The most difficult secret for a man to keep is his own opinion of himself"

Marcel Pagnol's quote, "The most difficult secret for a man to keep is his own opinion of himself", presents an insightful observation about human nature and self-perception. At its core, this statement recommends that individuals face their internal self-assessments, which are frequently covert below layers of social facades and external validations.

To start with, self-opinion is naturally individual and complex. It incorporates one's self-esteem, identity, and self-awareness-- factors that are deeply ingrained and continuously developing. This internal opinion is shaped by experiences, training, successes, failures, and the myriad interactions one has with the world. Keeping such an intricate and vibrant opinion concealed is a powerful task due to the fact that it needs a constant, mindful effort to mask or modify one's natural expressiveness or behavioral hints that might accidentally expose inner ideas and feelings.

Furthermore, self-opinion considerably influences how one responds to external stimuli. An individual with a high viewpoint of themselves may exude self-confidence, while somebody with a low viewpoint might appear more reserved or self-critical. In spite of efforts to conceal one's true self-view, these qualities typically manifest in subconscious actions, tone, body movement, and decision-making processes. Thus, even if one actively tries to hide their internal views, traces of their self-opinion tend to permeate through, showing the trouble in keeping this "secret.".

This quote also alludes to the wider societal context where individuals typically deal with pressure to meet certain expectations or comply with norms. In such environments, individuals may aim to forecast an image they think is more acceptable, having a hard time internally in between authenticity and portrayal. This stress can produce internal conflicts, making the suppression of one's real self-opinion a lot more tough.

In essence, Pagnol's observation talks to the universal human experience of handling the dichotomy between how one views oneself and how one wants to be perceived by others, highlighting the intrinsic difficulties in fixing up these elements within a social framework.