WIST Quotations

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 5 “Des Passions et des Affections de l’Âme [On the Soul], ¶ 29 (1850 ed.) [tr. Calvert (1866)]

Dave — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 21:57:08 +0000

It is always our inabilities that irritate us.

[Ce sont toujours nos impuissances qui nous irritent.]

Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 5 “Des Passions et des Affections de l’Âme [On the Soul], ¶ 29 (1850 ed.) [tr. Calvert (1866)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

Our worries always come from our weaknesses.
[tr. Attwell (1896), ¶ 65]

It is always our incapacities that irritate us.
[tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 4, ¶ 19]

It is always our inabilities that vex us.
[tr. Collins (1928), ch. 5]

Confucius -- The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 15, verse 19 (15.19) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Hinton (1998)]

Dave — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 23:26:37 +0000

The noble-minded worry about their lack of ability, not about people’s failure to recognize their ability.

[君子病無能焉、不病人之不己知也]

Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 15, verse 19 (15.19) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Hinton (1998)]
(Source)

(Source (Chinese)). See also 1.16, 4.14, 14.30. Legge and other early translators numbered this, as shown below, 15.18. Alternate translations:

The superior man is distressed by his want of ability. He is not distressed by men's not knowing him.
[tr. Legge (1861), 15.18]

The trouble of the superior man will be his own want of ability: it will be no trouble to him that others do not know him.
[tr. Jennings (1895), 15.18]

A wise and good man should be distressed that he has no ability ; he should never be distressed that men do not take notice of him.
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898), 15.18]

The noble man is pained over his own incompetency, he is not pained that others ignore him.
[tr. Soothill (1910), 15.18]

The proper man is irritated by his incapacities, not irritated by other people not recognizing him.
[tr. Pound (1933), 15.18]

A gentleman is distressed by his own lack of capacity; he is never distressed at the failure of others to recognize his merits.
[tr. Waley (1938), 15.18]

The perfect gentleman complains about his own inabilities; not about people’s ignorance of himself.
[tr. Ware (1950)]

The gentleman is troubled by his own lack of ability, not by the failure of others to appreciate him.
[tr. Lau (1979)]

The gentleman is pained at the lack of ability within himself; he is not pained at the fact that others do not appreciate him.
[tr. Dawson (1993)]

A gentleman resents his incompetence; he does not resent his obscurity.
[tr. Leys (1997)]

The gentleman worries about his incapability; he does not worry about men not knowing him.
[tr. Huang (1997)]

A gentleman worries about that he does not have the ability, does not worry about that others do not understand him.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), #403]

Exemplary persons (junzi) are distressed by their own lack of ability, not by the failure of others to acknowledge them.
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998)]

The gentleman takes it as a fault if he is incapable of something; he does not take it as a fault if others do not know him.
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998)]

The gentleman is distressed by his own inability, rather than the failure of others to recognize him.
[tr. Slingerland (2003)]

The gentleman is troubled by his own lack of ability. He is not troubled by the fact that others do not understand him.
[tr. Watson (2007)]

The gentleman is worried about his own lack of ability and not about the fact that others do not appreciate him.
[tr. Chin (2014)]

A Jun Zi is disappointed about his own incompetency. He is not distressed that he is not known by others.
[tr. Li (2020)]

Catton, Bruce -- A Stillness at Appomattox (1953)

Dave — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 16:06:58 +0000

A certain combination of incompetence and indifference can cause almost as much suffering as the most acute malevolence.

Bruce Catton (1899-1978) American historian and journalist
A Stillness at Appomattox (1953)
(Source)

Regarding prison camps during the US Civil War.

Von Clausewitz, Karl -- On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 3 “On Military Genius [Der Kriegerishe Genius],” (1.3) (1832) [tr. Graham (1873)]

Dave — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 20:29:45 +0000

There is nothing more common than to hear of men losing their energy on being raised to a higher position, to which they do not feel themselves equal.

[Nichts gewöhnlicher ist als Beispiele von Männern, die ihre Thätigkeit verlieren, sobald sie zu höheren Stellen gelangen, denen ihre Einsichten nicht mehr gewachsen sind.]

Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) Prussian soldier, historian, military theorist
On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 3 “On Military Genius [Der Kriegerishe Genius],” (1.3) (1832) [tr. Graham (1873)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Alternate translations:

There is nothing more common than to hear of men losing their energy on being raised to a higher position, to which their abilities are no longer equal.
[tr. Jolles (1943)]

No case is more common than that of the officer whose energy declines as he rises in rank and fills positions that are beyond his abilities.
[tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]

Asimov, Isaac -- “Bridle and Saddle,” Astounding (Jun 1942)

Dave — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 18:56:09 +0000

“Violence,” came the retort, “is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American author, polymath, biochemist
“Bridle and Saddle,” Astounding (Jun 1942)

Retitled "The Mayors" in Foundation (1951). The phrase appears multiple times in the story. See Johnson.

Peter, Lawrence J. -- The Peter Principle, ch. 1 (1969)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919-1990) American educator, management theorist
The Peter Principle, ch. 1 (1969)

~Other -- Robert J. Hanlon, “Hanlon’s Razor,” Murphy’s Law, Book Two (ed. A. Bloch) (1980)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

(Other Authors and Sources)
Robert J. Hanlon, “Hanlon’s Razor,” Murphy’s Law, Book Two (ed. A. Bloch) (1980)

Cf. Heinlein (again), Napoleon, Taylor, Bonhoeffer, Colton, and Goethe.

See here for more information, including discussion that "Robert J. Hanlon" may be a corruption or obfuscation of "Robert A. Heinlein."

Various variants in combinations with "ascribe," "what can be," and "incompetence."

Variant ("Aerospace saying"): "Never ascribe something to another cause that can be fully explained by stupidity and mediocrity."

Ivins, Molly -- Essay (1997-06-10), Creators Syndicate column

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Yes, the bad-lawyer felony is the leading cause of the death penalty in Texas. The single most dangerous thing you can be in Texas is poor.

Molly Ivins (1944-2007) American writer, political columnist [Mary Tyler Ivins]
Essay (1997-06-10), Creators Syndicate column