A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by
little statesman and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great
soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his
shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and
to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it
contradict every thing you said to-day. — ‘Ah, so you shall be sure to
be misunderstood.’ — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras
was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus,
and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took
flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.
I will admit to having that last line on my wall in my room. I had thought Wilde said that, but apparently he was quoting Emerson. I don’t know that I am great, but I am certainly misunderstood. Without exaggeration, I can say not one person on Earth fully understands me.
Looking this up, though, I found some more excellent quotes:
Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead. Alduous Huxley
Consistency is a virtue for trains: what we want from a philosopher is insights, whether he comes by them consistently or not.
Stephen Vizinczey
You see, THAT is why I don’t get up at 4:30 like I planned to!!!
Actually, I am so inconsistent, that I came up with “Consistency means that change is growth.”
It would be illogical not to contradict myself on this post.