Like the British Constitution, she owes her success in practice to her inconsistencies in principle.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Success sometimes comes from practical flexibility rather than strict adherence to principles.
- In plain terms
- Practical success can arise from being inconsistent in theory but consistent in results.
- What can you take from it?
- Real-world success often ignores rigid theoretical consistency.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is flexibility more valuable than consistency?
- How do you balance principles with practical needs?
Another view
Ignoring principles can lead to short-term gains but long-term instability.
More from Thomas Hardy
Of course poets have morals and manners of their own, and custom is no argument with them.
Permalink to quote #7 A lover without indiscretion is no lover at all. Circumspection and devotion are a contradiction in terms.
Permalink to quote #9 Good, but not religious-good.
Permalink to quote #6
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