You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup.
Bruce LeeRead
Obviously, a man's judgement cannot be better than the information on which he has based it. Give him the truth and he may still go wrong when he has the chance to be right, but give him no news or present him only with distorted and incomplete data, with ignorant, sloppy or biased reporting, with propaganda and deliberate falsehoods, and you destroy his whole reasoning processes, and make him something less than a man.
Interpretation
Judgment is only as good as the information it's based on, and distorted information leads to poor reasoning.
This quote emphasizes the critical importance of accurate and complete information in forming sound judgments. It suggests that when a person lacks truthful information or is misled by biased or false reporting, their ability to reason effectively is severely compromised, diminishing their capacity to make informed decisions.
In practice
In a debate about media responsibility, this quote can emphasize the need for truthful reporting.
You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup.
The willow which bends to the tempest, often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.
What you have lost will not be returned to you; it always be lost. You’re left with only your scars to mark the void. All you can choose to do is go on, or not. But if you go on, it’s knowing you carry your scars with you.
Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth
The master was an old Turtle--we used to call him Tortoise--' Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn't one?' Alice asked. We called him Tortoise because he taught us,' said the Mock Turtle angrily; 'really you are very dull!' You ought to be ashamed of yourself for asking such a simple question,' added the Gryphon; and then they both sat silent and looked at poor Alice, who felt ready to sink into the earth.
To receive applause for works which do not demand all our powers hinders our advance towards a perfecting of our spirit. It usually means that thereafter we stand still.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.