Young people do not perceive at once that the giver of wounds is the enemy and the quoted tattle merely the arrow.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People often blame the messenger for bad news rather than the source.
- In plain terms
- We blame the one who tells us, not the one who hurt us.
- What can you take from it?
- Don't punish the messenger for delivering bad news.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do we punish messengers?
- Who really causes the wound?
Another view
Sometimes the messenger is part of the problem.
More from F. Scott Fitzgerald
You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.
Permalink to quote #91 At the heart of every great fortune lies a great crime.
Permalink to quote #93 Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.
Permalink to quote #90
Related quotes
Peer, du lyver!
Henrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen quote #3 if I could calm or restrain you for the sake of pity save the pistol save the cynic's tongue save the cool white stare treat me to an honest face sometime
Natalie MerchantNatalie Merchant quote #4 Appearance blinds, whereas words reveal.
Oscar WildeOscar Wilde quote #5