Quote of the Day: Self Respect over Reputation

The optimal solution to being independent and upright while remaining a social animal is: to seek first your own self-respect and, secondarily and conditionally, that of others, provided your external image does not conflict with your own self-respect. Most people get it backwards and seek the admiration of the collective and something called "a good reputation" at the expense of self-worth for, alas, the two are in frequent conflict under modernity. Most people resolbe the tension by cherry picking ethical rules, fitting ethics to their actions.

Indeed. This stirring quote is from author and iconoclast Nassim Taleb at Facebook (link here and here).