"I feel very bad about getting things wrong"
About this Quote
A simple confession can reveal an entire ethic. Saying "I feel very bad about getting things wrong" does not just register embarrassment; it signals a commitment to truth that runs deeper than ego. The feeling is a moral emotion, the sting that tells us our words or decisions carry consequences beyond our self-image. Rather than the defensiveness that often follows mistakes, this stance makes space for correction, repair, and learning.
There is a difference between feeling bad about being wrong and feeling bad about being caught. The former is anchored in responsibility; it implies that accuracy matters because people, projects, and trust are at stake. That tone is crucial in domains where errors have outsized effects, from medicine and engineering to journalism and public policy. Owning the discomfort becomes part of the safety mechanism: it motivates retractions, revisions, and improved methods.
The phrasing matters too. "Getting things wrong" frames error as an event in a process, not a permanent identity. That language invites growth. It resists the brittle perfectionism that equates mistakes with personal failure, while also rejecting the shrug of indifference. Between those extremes lies a disciplined humility: admit the error, analyze the cause, amend the outcome, and adjust the system so the same mistake is less likely to recur.
Psychologically, the confession quarrels with the urge to double down. Cognitive dissonance is soothed by rationalization; integrity is built by feeling the discomfort and acting on it. Socially, it models trustworthiness. People are more willing to collaborate, challenge, and share information when they believe errors will be acknowledged rather than buried.
At scale, this posture underwrites progress. Science, design, and learning advance through structured failure. The feeling of "very bad" is not an endpoint but a catalyst. It reminds us that accuracy is a duty, not a preference, and that the right response to error is not shame alone, but the courage to correct and the discipline to improve.
There is a difference between feeling bad about being wrong and feeling bad about being caught. The former is anchored in responsibility; it implies that accuracy matters because people, projects, and trust are at stake. That tone is crucial in domains where errors have outsized effects, from medicine and engineering to journalism and public policy. Owning the discomfort becomes part of the safety mechanism: it motivates retractions, revisions, and improved methods.
The phrasing matters too. "Getting things wrong" frames error as an event in a process, not a permanent identity. That language invites growth. It resists the brittle perfectionism that equates mistakes with personal failure, while also rejecting the shrug of indifference. Between those extremes lies a disciplined humility: admit the error, analyze the cause, amend the outcome, and adjust the system so the same mistake is less likely to recur.
Psychologically, the confession quarrels with the urge to double down. Cognitive dissonance is soothed by rationalization; integrity is built by feeling the discomfort and acting on it. Socially, it models trustworthiness. People are more willing to collaborate, challenge, and share information when they believe errors will be acknowledged rather than buried.
At scale, this posture underwrites progress. Science, design, and learning advance through structured failure. The feeling of "very bad" is not an endpoint but a catalyst. It reminds us that accuracy is a duty, not a preference, and that the right response to error is not shame alone, but the courage to correct and the discipline to improve.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning from Mistakes |
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