False greatness is unsociable and remote: conscious of its own frailty, it hides, or at least averts its face, and reveals itself only enough to create an illusion and not be recognized as the meanness that it really is. True greatness is free, kind, familiar and popular; it lets itself be touched and handled, it loses nothing by being seen at close quarters; the better one knows it, the more one admires it.

Summary

This quote highlights the distinction between false greatness and true greatness. False greatness is characterized as distant, unsociable, and self-conscious of its own weaknesses. It tries to create an illusion of grandeur but fears being exposed as unworthy. In contrast, true greatness is described as genuine and approachable. It is open, kind, and easily accessible. True greatness does not lose its value when seen up close and admired; instead, the more one knows and understands it, the more admiration it garners.

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