There is an apparent paradox in Smith that one seeks grandeur, dignity, and superiority of character by answering the impartial spectator's call which insists we are but one of the multitude, in no respect better than any other; Roberts proposes resolving this dual tension via the Jewish exhortation to keep two notes—'from dust I was created' and 'the universe was created for me'—and to hold both pride and humility simultaneously rather than seeking a middle, since pure distinction makes a monster and pure self-abnegation makes one suicidal.