Quote of the Day (Helen Hayes, on Egocentrics and Inept People)

“Egocentrics are attracted to the inept. It gives them one more excuse for patting themselves on the back.”—Actress and “First Lady of American Theater” Helen Hayes (1900-1993), On Reflection: An Autobiography (1968)

Everybody who reads this has a nominee for an egocentric. One seems paramount to me. If you want to know who I’m thinking of, feel free to contact me offline. My answer won’t be a surprise. 

(My only complaint about Hayes' comment is that she doesn't account for what happens when an egocentric himself is inept. But then, that's the case of this fellow I have in mind.)

(The image of Helen Hayes that accompanies this post, taken Jan. 21, 1948, appeared in the Toronto Star and comes courtesy of the Toronto Public Library.)

Quote of the Day (Thorstein Veblen, on ‘Individuals With an Aberrant Temperament’)

“Only individuals with an aberrant temperament can in the long run retain their self-esteem in the face of the disesteem of their fellows.”— Norwegian-American economist Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929), The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899)