Every race and every nation should be judged by the best it has been able to produce, not by the worst.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Evaluate cultures and peoples based on their highest achievements rather than their lowest failures.
- In plain terms
- Judge a group by its best work, not its worst mistakes.
- What can you take from it?
- Focus on potential and peak performance when assessing value.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What defines the best of a nation?
- Can we ignore the worst entirely?
Another view
It may overlook systemic issues that cause the worst outcomes.
More from James Weldon Johnson
The colored people of this country know and understand the white people better than the white people know and understand them.
Permalink to quote #3 The glory of the day was in her face, The beauty of the night was in her eyes.
Permalink to quote #5 We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered.
Permalink to quote #2
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