Giacomo Leopardi, Letters, letter to Pietro Giordani (Recanati, 21st November 1817; tr. Prue Shaw):
. . . love glory: but, first, only true glory: and so not only do not accept undeserved (let alone insincere) praise, but reject it – not only do not love it, but loathe it; second, be quite sure that in this age you will be praised by very few people for doing good, and try always to please these few, leaving other people to please the crowd and be smothered in praise; third, pay no more attention to criticism, malicious talk, insults, ridicule, or unjust persecution than you do to things which do not exist; when it is justified, be distressed only at having deserved it; fourth, do not envy men greater and more famous than you, but respect and praise them as best you can, and love them sincerely and strongly besides. If these conditions are observed, the love of glory does not seem dangerous to me.
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