Vanity

"There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selfless life we gain enormously in self-esteem. The vanity of the selfless, even those who practice humility, is boundless."—Eric Hoffer, The True Believer

I have been filling in a gap in my self-education by reading the book from which I took the above quotation. I highly recommend it; the style is clear and pithy, almost aphoristic at times, and it contains many provocative observations and much food for thought. The frequent parallels to Nietzsche's thought, such as the observation quoted, are remarkable.