Re: [Paddlewise] Foolish Consistency

The quote is from Emerson's Self-Reliance and, in context, goes as follows:

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little 
statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has 
simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the 
wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what 
to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you 
said to-day. -- `Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' -- Is it so 
bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, 
and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every 
pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.

If you wish to read the complete essay, try 
http://miso.wwa.com/~jej/selfreli.html

Glenn

At 09:32 AM 4/21/2000 -0400, Steve Cramer wrote:
>tfj_at_interaccess.com wrote:
> >
> > Emerson I believe.
> >
> > > To those who believe there is only one right way I will quote Aldous
> > > Huxley:
> > > "Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds". (I think it was Aldous
> > > >>
> > >
> > > I think the full quotation is "A *foolish*
> > > consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds,"
>
>Showing evidence of a small mind, I believe that the quote is "A foolish
>_preoccupation_ with consistency..."  And I'm not sure that 'foolish' is
>the right word.
>
>Steve
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