The 'Garden Bridge' now looks unlikely to be constructed, which is the victory of common sense over vanity.
The new world of self-publishing has little in common with the old vanity publishing, but for many writers it still bears the taint of vanity.
It's a triumph of vanity over common sense.
"The common human qualities of vanity and greed for power" are particularly dangerous among intellectuals, he observed, and their longing to identify with political causes often results in "an almost unbelievable loss of critical reasoning".
Dr Ludwig Mond, a wealthy chemical manufacturer whose work led to the establishment of ICI, bequeathed the paintings in the belief that they would be displayed in a room bearing his name - a common enough piece of vanity, indulged widely in American museums.
And at a certain point his vanity prevailed over common sense," said Adriano Pires, director of the Brazilian Infrastructure Center, an energy consulting firm in Rio de Janeiro.
Once a rarity in the Manhattan office market, big, brassy "vanity plates" are becoming more common, especially in new buildings, brokers say.
I take some responsibility for letting my vanity take precedence over my common sense, and this has led to my amazement as to how I can continue to risk my health just to look well coiffed.
Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
