“Reputation is what other people know about you. Honor is what you know about yourself. The friction tends to arise when the two are not the same. There is no more hollow feeling than to stand with your honor shattered at your feet while soaring public reputation wraps you in rewards. That’s soul-destroying. The other way around is merely very, very irritating.”
“Can I offer you some consoling reflections?
First, this too shall pass. Despite the undoubted charms of sex, murder, conspiracy, and more sex, people will eventually grow bored with the tale, and some other poor fellow will make some other ghastly public mistake, and their attention will go haring off after the new game.”
Secondly, given this accusation, no charge against you that’s less exciting will ruffle anyone’s sensibilities in the future. The near future, anyway.
Third, there is no thought control—or I’d certainly have put it to use before this. Trying to shape, or respond to, what every idiot on the street believes—on the basis of little logic and less information—would only serve to drive you mad.”
Miles stared away for a minute into the middle distance. “So what you’re telling me boils down to the same thing Galeni said. I have to stand here and eat this, and smile.”
“No,” said his father, “you don’t have to smile. But if you’re really asking for advice from my accumulated experience, I’m saying, Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards.”
Aral and Miles Vorkosigan – Miles In Love – A Civil Campaign – Lois McMaster Bujold
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