A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others; a loser wants to be considered an expert by others before he has learned enough to know how little he knows. Sydney J. Harris More Quotes by Sydney J. Harris More Quotes From Sydney J. Harris If you cannot endure to be thought in the wrong, you will begin to do terrible things to make the wrong appear right. Sydney J. Harris endure terrible acceptance What is much harder to handle is the sense that you have to live up to the mark someone else has set for you. The grades become too important, the competition too frantic, the fear of disappointing those who believe in you turns into an overwhelming nightmare. Sydney J. Harris parent boys believe It may be true that the weak will always be driven to the wall; but it is the task of a just society to see that the wall is climbable. Sydney J. Harris weak-will wall justice A winner rebukes and forgives; a loser is too Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who forgives you -- out of love -- takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice. Sydney J. Harris forgiveness forgiving sacrifice Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there. Sydney J. Harris ethics discovery philosophy Christianity is not a "spiritual" religion, like some religions of the east. It is an intensely "practical" religion, having its moral roots in the practicality of judaism. It was not designed to change the way men think or believe as much as to change the way they act. Sydney J. Harris spiritual men believe God cannot be solemn, or he would not have blessed man with the incalculable gift of laughter. Sydney J. Harris laughter blessed men A 'penchant for telling the truth' can cripple a candidates chances faster than being caught in flagrante delicto with the governor's wife. Sydney J. Harris wife telling-the-truth chance Gourmet: Usually little more than a glutton festooned with credit cards. Sydney J. Harris credit littles food The principal difference between love and hate is that love is a irradiation, and hate is a concentration. Love makes everything lovely; hate concentrates itself on the object of its hatred. Sydney J. Harris differences hate love All significant achievement comes from daring from experiment from the willingness to risk failure. Sydney J. Harris achievement failure risk It is not only useless, it is harmful, to believe in oneself until one truly knows oneself. And to know oneself means to accept our moments of insanity, of eccentricity, of childishness and blindness. Sydney J. Harris insanity mean believe Nuclear war is inevitable, says the pessimists; Nuclear war is impossible, says the optimists; Nuclear war is inevitable unless we make it impossible, says the realists. Sydney J. Harris nuclear war peace A person is either himself or not himself; is either rooted in his existence or is a fabrication; has either found his humanhood or is still playing with masks and roles and status symbols. And nobody is more aware of this difference (although unconsciously) than a child. Only an authentic person can evoke a good response in the core of the other person; only person is resonant to person. Sydney J. Harris differences roles children When we have "second thoughts" about something, our first thoughts don't seem like thoughts at all - just feelings. Sydney J. Harris justice feelings firsts Intolerance is the most socially acceptable form of egotism, for it permits us to assume superiority without personal boasting. Sydney J. Harris tolerance assuming acceptance But what is significant is that if you don't want to like and accept somebody, one excuse is as good as another. The objective facts don't matter, and the reasons are never as ‘reasonable' as we like to think they are. Sydney J. Harris matter want thinking The founder of every creed from Jesus Christ to Karl Marx, would be appalled to return to earth and see what has been made of that creed, not by its enemies, but by its most devoted adherents. Sydney J. Harris would-be enemy jesus Somebody who never got over the embarrassing fact that he was born in bed with a lady. Sydney J. Harris embarrassing bed facts It's odd, and a little unsettling, to reflect upon the fact that English is the only major language in which "I" is capitalized; in many other languages "You" is capitalized and the "i" is lower case." -- Sydney J. Harris language littles facts
