They have seen in his round, jolly fruitful face, post-offices, land-offices, marshalships and cabinet-appointments, charge-ships and foreign missions, bursting out in wonderful exuberance, ready to be laid hold of by their greedy hands. Nobody has ever expected me to be president. In my poor, lean lank face nobody has ever seen that any cabbages were sprouting.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People who look successful are assumed to want power, while I appear too ordinary for such ambitions.
- In plain terms
- Others expect ambitious people to look different than I do.
- What can you take from it?
- Appearances shape expectations about your ambitions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does your appearance affect expectations?
- What do others assume about your ambitions?
Another view
Underestimating someone based on appearance can work both ways.
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