I haven't a particle of confidence in a man who has no redeeming petty vices.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker lacks trust in a man without minor vices that make him human.
- In plain terms
- He distrusts people who have no small faults.
- What can you take from it?
- A few harmless flaws can make someone more relatable.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do minor flaws always increase trust?
Another view
Some vices can be harmful, not just petty.
More from Samuel Langhorne Clemens
I don't see no p'ints about that frog that's any better'n any other frog.
Permalink to quote #6 Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run.
Permalink to quote #8 I'll risk forty dollars that he can outjump any frog in Calaveras county.
Permalink to quote #5
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