White shall not neutralize the black, nor good Compensate bad in man, absolve him so: Life's business being just the terrible choice.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Good deeds do not cancel out bad ones; life forces difficult moral choices.
- In plain terms
- Being good once does not erase being bad; you must choose carefully.
- What can you take from it?
- Understand that choices have weight and good does not erase bad.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you handle past mistakes?
- Is it possible to fully make up for bad actions?
Another view
Some believe redemption is possible regardless of past choices.
More from Robert Browning
Of what I call God, And fools call Nature.
Permalink to quote #47 Inscribe all human effort with one word, Artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete!
Permalink to quote #49 Faultless to a fault.
Permalink to quote #46
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