:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
The two Greek words most often bundled together in English, and they point in different directions. Meraki is what you owe the work — the care that shows in the thing you made. Philotimo is what you owe other people. One is answerable to an object; the other to a community.
Side by side
| Aspect | Meraki | Philotimo |
|---|---|---|
| Owed to | The work | Other people |
| Visible in | The object | Your conduct |
| Origin | Ottoman loan | Ancient Greek |
| First sense | Longing | Ambition |
What each one means
Meraki is doing something with passion, zeal and gusto — putting your whole self into it. Its earlier Greek sense is intense longing or desire, from Ottoman Turkish merak; the familiar English rendering, 'the trace of yourself you leave in what you make', is a translation flourish rather than a recorded Greek definition.
Full definition of Meraki →Philotimo is the internal obligation to do the generous and right thing because of who you are, with no expectation of return — a word that carried both senses in antiquity — vainglorious ambition in one register, honourable ambition and lavish public generosity in another.
Full definition of Philotimo →