A famously wise old man in a village was once asked how he came by his wisdom. "I got it from my good judgment," he answered. And where did his good judgment come from? "I got it from my bad judgment."
Interpretation
Wisdom is often gained through making mistakes and learning from them.
This quote illustrates the idea that wisdom does not simply come from having good judgment but rather from the experiences that arise from making bad judgments. It suggests that every mistake carries valuable lessons that contribute to our overall understanding and decision-making abilities, emphasizing the importance of learning from failures as a pathway to wisdom.
In practice
In a motivational speech about embracing failure as part of personal growth.
A person is either himself or not himself; is either rooted in his existence or is a fabrication; has either found his humanhood or is still playing with masks and roles and status symbols. And nobody is more aware of this difference (although unconsciously) than a child. Only an authentic person can evoke a good response in the core of the other person; only person is resonant to person.
We evaluate others with a Godlike justice, but we want them to evaluate us with a Godlike compassion.
The commonest fallacy among women is that simply having children makes them a mother - which is as absurd as believing that having a piano makes one a musician.
Man's unique agony as a species consists in his perpetual conflict between the desire to stand out and the need to blend in.
"Terrorism" is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; "war" is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.
At it's highest level, the purpose of teaching is not to teach—it is to inspire the desire for learning. Once a student's mind is set on fire, it will find a way to provide its own fuel.
Nothing is more despicable than a professional talker who uses his words as a quack uses his remedies
Among mortals second thoughts are wisest.
Hope was always out ahead of fact, possibility obscured the outlines of reality.
Let's tell the truth to people. When people ask, 'How are you?' have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully. You must know, however, that people will start avaoiding you because, they, too, have knees that pain them and heads that hurt and they don't want to know about yours. But think of it this way: If people avoid you, you will have more time to meditate and do fine research on a cure for whatever truly afflicts you.
It does not require many words to speak the truth.
Most people consider me an optimist because I laughingly state that I would take my last two dollars and buy a money belt.
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