The Only Part Of Your Reputation To Worry About

I received the linked article via the great Daily Stoic email newsletter.

Joseph Addison in wrote the following in 1712 about Cato:

We can’t guarantee success, we can do something better, we can deserve it.

Ryan Holiday adds:

The same goes for reputations. Nothing we do can ensure we get the reputation we deserve, but we can deserve a good one. We don’t know whether people will recognize our honesty or hard work or grace under pressure, so we shouldn’t worry about it.

That feels about right.