“There are people who love to worship their idols and others who prefer to worship their own reflections.”Georg Christoph Lichtenberg · Caietele de însemnări · 1799 · Caietul H, însemnarea 24
Whoever worships their own reflection sees an admirer in every mirror, never a critic.
Worship, whether before an idol or one's own reflection, means no longer seeing the real object but an idealized image. The man who adores himself turns the mirror into an altar: he can no longer receive criticism, because every reflecting surface looks like an admirer. An intellectual who reads only to confirm his own opinions is worshipping his reflection just as much as a fan idolizing a celebrity.
Why it matters It helps you recognize vanity disguised as principle, in others and in yourself.