"He that never changes his opinion never corrects mistakes and will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today"
About this Quote
Edwards frames intellectual stubbornness as a moral failure, not just a cognitive quirk. The line moves with puritan efficiency: no change in opinion means no correction; no correction means no growth; no growth means tomorrow is condemned to look exactly like today. It reads less like a gentle invitation to open-mindedness than a theological warning about spiritual inertia, the kind of stagnation that keeps a person comfortably wrong.
The intent is disciplinary. As a 19th-century American theologian, Edwards is writing in a culture that prized self-improvement and moral accounting, where “character” was something you audited daily. Changing your mind isn’t portrayed as fickleness; it’s the visible evidence of humility. The subtext is Protestant: confession, repentance, amendment. “Corrects mistakes” echoes the logic of sin and reform, translated into the language of opinion. If you can’t revise your beliefs, you can’t revise yourself.
The rhetoric is also quietly modern in its diagnosis of ego. “Never changes” implies that the obstacle isn’t lack of information but attachment: identity welded to a position. Edwards anticipates the way certainty can become a performance, where being consistent matters more than being accurate. The phrase “wiser on the morrow” is a neat pressure point, turning time itself into a verdict. Wisdom isn’t a trait you possess; it’s a trajectory you either choose or refuse.
In an era of creeds and revivals, Edwards is arguing that the truest sign of conviction is the willingness to let truth overrule your pride.
The intent is disciplinary. As a 19th-century American theologian, Edwards is writing in a culture that prized self-improvement and moral accounting, where “character” was something you audited daily. Changing your mind isn’t portrayed as fickleness; it’s the visible evidence of humility. The subtext is Protestant: confession, repentance, amendment. “Corrects mistakes” echoes the logic of sin and reform, translated into the language of opinion. If you can’t revise your beliefs, you can’t revise yourself.
The rhetoric is also quietly modern in its diagnosis of ego. “Never changes” implies that the obstacle isn’t lack of information but attachment: identity welded to a position. Edwards anticipates the way certainty can become a performance, where being consistent matters more than being accurate. The phrase “wiser on the morrow” is a neat pressure point, turning time itself into a verdict. Wisdom isn’t a trait you possess; it’s a trajectory you either choose or refuse.
In an era of creeds and revivals, Edwards is arguing that the truest sign of conviction is the willingness to let truth overrule your pride.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning from Mistakes |
|---|---|
| Source | Tryon Edwards — A Dictionary of Thoughts (collection of aphorisms). Commonly attributed to Edwards in his compendium, rendered: "He that never changes his opinion never corrects mistakes and will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today." |
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