“I happen to feel that the degree of a person’s intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting attitudes she can bring to bear on the same topic.”
Lisa Alther
I love this quote. It goes strongly against the black/white view so many people have on so many topics. Things are rarely as dichotomous or polarized as we think but due to many factors we just can’t seem to see that third or fourth dimension. Often we are presented with these other ideas, viewpoints, attitudes but they all get lumped into our “wrong” category without proper analysis. How often does it happen that someone holds an opinion that you think is totally wrong but if you really listen to their reasons for holding said opinion you can at least begin to “see things their way?” You may still not be able to reconcile both viewpoints and they may still be conflicting but at least you can “see” the other side. And conflicting viewpoints are ok — really! But don’t take my word for it …
“To ’see both sides’ of a problem is the surest way to prevent its complete solution. Because there are always more than two sides.” - Idries Shah
Hi Valerie! Thanks for stopping by.
I like it! I’m “stealing” this for my quotes page. Thanks.