All error, not merely verbal, is a strong way of stating that the current truth is incomplete. The follies of youth have a basis in sound reason, just as much as the embarrassing questions put by babes and sucklings. Their most antisocial acts indicate the defects of our society. When the torrent sweeps the man against a boulder, you must expect him to scream, and you need not be surprised if the scream is sometimes a theory.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Errors and societal follies often signal that current truths are incomplete or that society has defects.
- In plain terms
- Mistakes show where our current ideas or society are lacking.
- What can you take from it?
- Treat errors and rebellions as signals to examine societal flaws.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What societal defects do current errors reveal?
- How should we respond to youth rebellion?
Another view
Not all errors stem from societal defects; some are just mistakes.
More from Robert Louis Stevenson
It is as natural and as right for a young man to be imprudent and exaggerated, to live in swoops and circles, and beat about his cage like any other wild thing…
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