John Morley: “The most fatal and in their sequel most gigantic errors of men are…”

On the record

The most fatal and in their sequel most gigantic errors of men are also frequently the most excusable and the least gratuitous.

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John Morley

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Morley points out that the most significant mistakes often arise from understandable motivations rather than malice.

More from John Morley

If the idea was the direct gift of heaven, the policy was due to the sagacity and mother-wit of the great ecclesiastical statesmen.

I am trying to feel my way through the most difficult problem, the most difficult situation that a responsible Government can have to face.

How should we look in the face of the civilised world if we had so turned our back upon our duty and sovereign task?

Is it natural effervescence, or is it deadly fermentation?

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John Morley: “The most fatal and in their sequel most gigantic errors of men are also frequently the most excusable and the least…”