mistakes on Subjectivity

Postmodernism (the thinking of our age) is fiercely antinomian (without law). It is admitted that people make mistakes, but the word ‘sin’ is seldom mentioned and the idea that we all sin against God ...

Perhaps the history of the errors of mankind, all things considered, is more valuable and interesting than that of their discoveries. Truth is uniform and narrow; it constantly exists, and does not se...

In her aptly title book, Being Wrong , Kathleen Schulz describes just how difficult it is to be wrong: A whole lot of us go through life assuming that we are basically right, basically all the ti...

The point of discourse is to learn with and from one another. I used to tell my students that at least 20 percent of what I was telling them was wrong, but I didn't know which 20 percent it was: I...

“If one wants to be active, one mustn’t be afraid to do something wrong sometimes, not afraid to lapse into some mistakes. To be good — many people think that they’ll achieve it by doing no harm — and...

I will look at any additional evidence to confirm the opinion to which I have already come.

There is something to be said for every error; but, whatever may be said for it, the most important thing to be said about it is that it is erroneous.

The point of discourse is to learn with and from one another. I used to tell my students that at least 20 percent of what I was telling them was wrong, but I didn't know which 20 percent it was: I...

We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is pos...

“My mistakes are my life.” How It Is

One of the reasons failure can be so crushing is that we set goals of success, instead of improvement and learning.

To err isn’t human after all. To err is, cosmically speaking, an anomaly. That’s why we can’t bear the imperfection in ourselves and in others.

It is human to err, it is devilish to remain willfully in error.

When people fail, we are inclined to find fault with them, but if you look more closely, you will find that God had some particular truth for them to learn, which the trouble they are in is to teach t...

Our errors are surely not such awfully solemn things. In a world where we are so certain to incur them in spite of all our caution, a certain lightness of heart seems healthier than this excessive ner...

To err is human; to admit it, superhuman.

We readily confess our little faults in order to suggest that we have no big ones.

When asked to recant of his writings, Luther replied, “Unless I am convinced by sacred Scripture or by evident reason, I cannot recant. For my conscience is held captive by the word of God and to act ...

We cannot afford to forget any experience, not even the most painful.

Today is Yesterday's Pupil.

A man is being tailgated by a woman who is in a hurry. He comes to an intersection, and when the light turns yellow, he hits the brakes. The woman behind him goes ballistic. She honks her horn at him;...

It infuriates me to be wrong when I know I’m right.

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.

Gracious God, sometimes I think that I can figure out all the consequences of my decisions. I can become overly impressed with what I perceive to be my strategic vision and analysis. Forgive me for my...

Pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes.

“I should not like to be wrong,” said Poirot. “It is not—how do you say?—my métier.”

Error, by force of contrast, enhances the triumph of Truth.

When you repeat a mistake, it is not a mistake anymore: it is a decision.

“A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.”

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for the success of the human species. It enables us to learn from our mistakes and make plans. When the PFC is healthy, we behave consistently in ways that enable ...