Originally posted by darkhorse
"The trader's esoteric reality is the perception of other's introspection"
I think he's saying that when someone criticizes you as a trader (and/or idolizes you as a trader), it is because they are dealing with jealousy or fear or weakness in their own lives, and to see or hear of maverick success in a tough endeavor usually highlights that feeling of personal inadequacy, thus leading to a response of either base subservience or lashing out, depending on the person's emotional defense strategy.