The man within the breast & The real spectator

In solitude, we are apt to feel strongly whatever relates to ourselves : we are apt to over-rate the good offices we may have done, and the injuries we may have suffered : we are apt to be too much elated by our own good, and too much dejected by our own bad fortune. The conversation of a friend brings us to a better, that of a stranger to a still better temper. The man within the breast, the abstract and ideal spectator of our sentiments and conduct, requires often to be awakened and put in mind of his duty, by the presence of the real spectator : and it is always from that spectator, from whom we can expect the least sympathy and indulgence, that we are likely to learn the most complete lesson of self-command.

Adam Smith

The Theory of Moral Sentiments