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April   25th

THERE’S NOTHING WRONG   WITH    BEING   WRONG

“If anyone  can prove   and show    to  me  that    I   think   and act in  error,  I   will    gladly  change  it—for  I

seek    the truth,  by  which   no  one has ever    been    harmed. The one who is  harmed  is  the one who

abides  in  deceit  and ignorance.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    6.21

omeone once attempted to argue with the philosopher Cicero by quoting something he had said or
written. This person claimed Cicero was saying one thing now but had believed something different
in the past. His response: “I live from one day to the next! If something strikes me as probable, I say it;
and that is how, unlike everyone else, I remain a free agent.”
No one should be ashamed at changing his mind—that’s what the mind is for. “A foolish consistency is
the hobgoblin of little minds,” Emerson said, “adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
That’s why we go to such lengths to learn and expose ourselves to wisdom. It would be embarrassing if
we didn’t end up finding out if we were wrong in the past.
Remember: you’re a free agent. When someone points out a legitimate flaw in your belief or in your
actions, they’re not criticizing you. They’re presenting a better alternative. Accept it!