A man looking at a hippopotamus may sometimes be tempted to regard a hippopotamus as an enormous mistake; but he is also bound to confess that a fortunate inferiority prevents him personally from making such mistakes.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Even large or flawed things offer perspective on our own limitations.
- In plain terms
- Seeing a big mistake reminds you you don't make them.
- What can you take from it?
- Perspective comes from observing others' flaws.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What do others' mistakes teach you?
- How do you view your own flaws?
Another view
Comparing ourselves to others can be unfair.
More from Gilbert Keith Chesterton
When some English moralists write about the importance of having character, they appear to mean only the importance of having a dull character.
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