An injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult.

The aphorism distinguishes between harm done to one’s interests (“injury”) and harm done to one’s dignity (“insult”). Chesterfield suggests that people can more readily forgive tangible damage—loss, inconvenience, even pain—than the humiliation or contempt implied by an insult. An insult attacks self-respect and social standing, provoking resentment because it signals a judgment about one’s worth. The remark also functions as practical advice: if you must oppose someone, do so without disparagement. In Chesterfield’s moral psychology, tact and respect are not mere niceties but tools for preserving relationships and avoiding long-lived enmities.