Vanity in Nietzsche’s “Beyond Good and Evil”

In section 261 of Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche articulates a conception of vanity with respect to the distinction he makes between nobles and ordinary men. He offers that vanity is perhaps the most difficult thing for the noble man to understand, for it involves seeking an opinion of oneself that is held by others and not oneself. Further, it involves thinking that this opinion is relevant and valuable, i.e. that it has a positive of negative effect on the self. Nietzsche goes as far as to say that in order to be vain, a noble would have to believe such an external opinion, which, given his articulation of the noble, seems impossible.