Men naturally despise those who court them, but respect those who do not give way to them.

The saying distills a hard-edged, realist view of social and political psychology: overt deference and ingratiation tend to invite contempt, while firmness and refusal to yield can command respect. It implies that status is negotiated through displays of independence—those who “court” others signal neediness or weakness, whereas those who hold their ground project strength and self-sufficiency. Read politically, it cautions statesmen and diplomats against supplication and excessive concession, suggesting that credibility and deterrence often rest on the willingness to resist pressure. The maxim also carries an ethical ambiguity typical of Thucydidean analysis: it describes what people “naturally” do, not necessarily what they ought to do.