No man is free from the terrible burdens of historic events; no nation is composed of angels, free from human frailty. The relevant question is not – is this people perfect? But, what are they doing about the imperfection? In what direction are they moving – and how fast?
Imperfection Quotes
This ignorance of history… rampant utopianism. Without the standard of the past, expectations and possibilities are unlimited. The standard then becomes not what is reasonably possible given humanity’s flaws, but absolute perfection. Measured against those sorts of expectations, then of course America falls short, as does every other civilization that has ever existed. Yet with […]
The finest works of art are precious, among other reasons, because they make it possible for us to know, if only imperfectly and for a little while, what it actually feels like to think subtly and feel nobly.
The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none. Recognizing our limitations and imperfections is the first requisite of progress. Those who believe they have arrived believe they have nowhere to go.
A very pious friend of mine, having heard that I had said the world was full of imperfections, asked me if the report was true. Upon being informed that it was, he expressed great surprise that any one could be guilty of such presumption. He said that, in his judgment, it was impossible to point […]
The search for perfection begins with detecting imperfection.
Love causes us to value the other person as a total, individual self, and this means that we accept the negative side as well as the positive, the imperfections as well as the admirable qualities. When one truly loves the human being rather than the projection, one loves the shadow just as one loves the […]
If 99% is good enough, then gravity will not work for 14 minutes every day.
He that pleases himself too much with minute exactness, and submits to endure nothing in accommodations, attendance, or address below the point of perfection, will, whenever he enters the crowd of life, be harassed with innumerable distresses, from which those who have not in the same manner increased their sensations find no disturbance. His exotic […]
Man only ever scores nine out of ten.
