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Epic Laundry Basket: Arrogance vs Cockiness

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One of the things that I associate with success is giving the appearance of fearlessness, of being Gung Ho about one’s abilities. It does not have to resonate true inside but it sure needs to be outside if you want to be taken seriously.

When fame does arrive, people start having reasons to hate you.  I guess it’s one of the prices to pay.

One of the easy grip haters will have on you is calling you arrogant.

Arrogance implies that you look down on some people and treat them with disdain.  Much like haters do.

Cockiness is close to arrogance and can get irritating at times.  However, it’s just overprojected self-confidence, not an imposed sense of superiority.

The line between both can be slim sometimes.

In my upcoming career as a RPG writer (or whatever it is I plan to do), I aim to have my 2 feet well set on the side of cockiness, not arrogance.

I firmly believe that the only time you should look down on someone… is when you help them up.

177 words.

Comments

  2. I know exactly what you mean. One of the things I try to do when I write is to try to use proper grammar and sentence structure. Because of that, I have been accused of voicing my opinions from “on high” and that my opinions don’t come across as such because they are “too professional looking” so they seem more factual than opinions.

    I learned a long time ago that if you are too sure of your own abilities, people will think you are cocky and arrogant. It really is a fine line. If you’re too trusting of your own instincts, people call you arrogant. If you’re not trusting enough, people call you a waffler. I’m still trying to get to that middle point. 😉

  7. True words. Be confident in your abilities and you won’t need to tell us how good you are. We’ll see it for ourselves.

    Just remember that if you don’t get very far, it’s because you were standing on the shoulders of Dwarves.

    greywulfs last blog post..The Justice League of Faerun

  11. I’m taking back the Prize Tony….

    … So I can give it to you again.

    Good one…

    Hey, wait a minute…

    @Propagandroid: Nice one! I like it a lot.

  12. Arrogance or cockiness. It’s really a matter of perspective as to how someone views it. I’ve been accused of both on the same matter. I’ve found that people accuse me of arrogance if they disagree with me, and if they agree with me they think I’m confident.

    At least, that’s my experience.

    Tomcat1066s last blog post..Busting Stereotypes Part 2 – The Dwarf

  14. There is no conscious subtext in the post. Just me waxing philosophically about things I’ve been called many time by others.

    As for the comments… it’s a delightful mix of sarcasm and irony.

    🙂

    In 13 minutes, the day’s true post comes up…

  16. I’m reminded of that Michael Dukakis quote:

    “People say I’m arrogant, but I know better”.

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