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Knowing the exceptions

April 22nd, 2007 | Just thinking, Quotations 

The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions. Oliver Wendell Holmes

I love the idea of the flexibility that is behind this quote. Every rule has its exception.

I know someone whose life was ordered by seeing things as either right or wrong, black or white, no shades of grey. For her, I think to believe or live the exceptions would have felt too unsafe. How else to order the world? At the same time she was very kind and compassionate. In a sense she was a product of her times and her upbringing.

I, on the other hand, can be too knowledgeable about the shades of grey to clearly make a strong leap to the side of the rules, rebel of the heart that I am.

Somewhere there is balance.

And in that balance, somewhere, there is the knowledge that every rule has its exception.

Which side of the dicotomy do you fall in?

Karin

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Just thinking, Quotations



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2 comments ↓
#1 helg on 04.22.07 at 11:41 am

A thought provoking post. Thanks!
I think I have always felt the passion of a young person (the fiery temperament to defend one’s views) with the old person’s analysis of the grey areas existent in almost any complicated matter (and most matters are that).
I don’t consider myself sage far from it, but I believe there are nuances and shades that are not to be missed in most matters. After all each case is a seperate case and the world cannot be classified in patterns, no matter how easier our life would be that way….

#2 Karin on 04.22.07 at 3:34 pm

I see that in you, Helg, you are a deep thinker. I always enjoy what you write.

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