Quote by Joshua Wolf Shenk, What Makes Us

A glimpse of any one moment in a life can be deeply misleading. A man at 20 who appears the model of altruism may turn out to be a kind of emotional prodigyhttp://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/happiness

A glimpse of any one moment in a life can be deeply misleadi

Summary

This quote suggests that forming judgments about someone based on a single moment or phase of their life can be deceptive. It highlights the potential for individuals to change and evolve over time, often surprising others with their true nature. It illustrates the idea that a person who seems selfless and virtuous at a young age may simply be unusually advanced in their emotional development, and their later actions may not necessarily align with their initial presentation. Essentially, this quote emphasizes the complexity and unpredictability of human nature, cautioning against hasty judgments.

Topics

Maturity

By Joshua Wolf Shenk, What Makes Us

Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

When I am made fun of in the press I just remember those day

When I am made fun of in the press I just remember those days when I'd come home to find that the water had been turned off because my mother couldn't afford the bill. Suddenly, everything feels easier.

Home

Perfection is boring. If a face doesn't have mistakes, it's

Perfection is boring. If a face doesn't have mistakes, it's nothing.

Beauty Mistakes

About half my work in education is U.S. political reform aro

About half my work in education is U.S. political reform around school districts and charter schools, and creating more room for entrepreneurial organizations to develop. And about half on technology, which I look at as a global platform.

Education

Respect commands itself and it can neither be given nor with

Respect commands itself and it can neither be given nor withheld when it is due.

Eldridge Cleaver

Respect

Even though I love solar and love wind, like most people do,

Even though I love solar and love wind, like most people do, I like the renewable sources, they alone are not going to get America energy independent.

Alone

I want to be able to look back and say, 'I've done everythin

I want to be able to look back and say, 'I've done everything I can, and I was successful.' I don't want to look back and say I should have done this or that. I'd like to change things for the younger generation of swimmers coming along.

Change

I am a kind of burr; I shall stick.

I am a kind of burr; I shall stick.

William Shakespeare

Persistence

What's the quickest way to become a millionaire? Borrow five

What's the quickest way to become a millionaire? Borrow fivers off everyone you meet.

Richard Branson

Money

Reason is a harmonising, controlling force rather than a cre

Reason is a harmonising, controlling force rather than a creative one.

Bertrand Russell

Force

Truth titillates the imagination far less than fiction.

Truth titillates the imagination far less than fiction.

Marquis de Sade

Imagination

The courts cannot garnish a father's salary, nor freeze his

The courts cannot garnish a father's salary, nor freeze his account, nor seize his property on behalf of his children, in our society. Apparently this is because a kid is not a car or a couch or a boat.

Car

In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished

In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished scheme has failed, to take up the best alternative open, and if so, it is folly not to work for it with all your might.

Sir Winston Churchill

Adaptability