[W]e are hardened to what we know, and we rationalise and even justify cruelties practised by us and our like while retaining the capacity to be outraged, even disgusted by practices equally cruel which, under the hands of strangers, take a different form.

John Keegan
About This Quote

It can be very hard to accept that we've been wrong in the past and it can be even harder to admit that we've done something wrong to another person in the past. We often justify and rationalize our actions and we also often excuse and explain away. We can say things like "I was doing my best" when we do something wrong. Sometimes we say things like, "It wasn't right but I was doing my best" when we do something wrong. Even though it's not the right thing to do, we still believe that it's the thing that we're supposed to do.

Source: A History Of Warfare

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More Quotes By John Keegan
  1. [W]e are hardened to what we know, and we rationalise and even justify cruelties practised by us and our like while retaining the capacity to be outraged, even disgusted by practices equally cruel which, under the hands of strangers, take a different form.
  2. I don't look to find an educated person in the ranks of university graduates, necessarily. Some of the most educated people I know have never been near a university.
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