Be warned against all 'good' advice because 'good' advice is necessarily 'safe' advice, and though it will undoubtedly follow a sane pattern, it will very likely lead one into total sterility--one of the crushing problems of our time.
Interpretation
Caution is advised when following conventional 'good' advice, as it may stifle creativity and lead to unoriginality.
Jules Feiffer emphasizes the danger in blindly adhering to well-meaning advice that is deemed 'good' or 'safe.' While such advice may seem rational and sensible, it often constrains innovative thinking and can result in a lack of creativity, ultimately contributing to a sterile and uninspired existence. The quote serves as a reminder to challenge norms and seek out more unconventional paths that encourage growth and originality.
In practice
During a workshop on creativity, I would use this quote to emphasize the importance of thinking outside the box.
At sixteen I was stupid, confused and indecisive. At twenty-five I was wise, self-confident, prepossessing and assertive. At forty-five I am stupid, confused, insecure and indecisive. Who would have supposed that maturity is only a short break in adolescence?
Others may try to feed our ego, but it is up to us to constrain it.
He who knows best knows how little he knows.
Genius can only breathe freely in an atmosphere of freedom.
You will be wounded many times in your life. You'll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God's way of saying, "Excuse me, you're moving in the wrong direction." It's just an experience, just an experience.
The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are.
Writing is how I find out what I believe and what I care most deeply about. It's how I sort through the mess of daily experience and try to make sense of it - by stepping out of it for a while. Writing is how I train a searchlight into the darker corners of my self and the world, as I'm sure I'd never do otherwise.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.