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Daily Inspiration Quote by Alberto Gonzales

"I will be the first to admit I am not perfect and I make mistakes"

About this Quote

A confession of imperfection from a public servant is never just a confession; its real work is managerial. Gonzales leads with humility, but the humility is calibrated: "the first to admit" frames him as proactive and self-aware, the adult in the room volunteering accountability before it can be demanded. It's a preemptive strike disguised as candor. The sentence is built to soften scrutiny, not invite it.

"I am not perfect" is a safe admission because it's indisputable and costless. No one is perfect. The phrase converts potential allegations into a generic human condition, diluting the specificity that investigations, hearings, and headlines thrive on. Then comes the strategically vague follow-up: "I make mistakes". Still no details, no names, no actions, no harm. It's a form of rhetorical sandblasting, smoothing the surface of a controversy without conceding any particular failure. If challenged later, the speaker can point back to this line as evidence of honesty while keeping the actual record insulated.

The context matters because Gonzales's public identity is inseparable from institutional trust: the justice system, the rule of law, the credibility of official decision-making. In that arena, "mistakes" can be ordinary bureaucratic errors or catastrophic abuses of power. The quote refuses to distinguish between them, which is precisely the point. It signals contrition to a broad audience while preserving legal and political maneuvering room. The intent isn't moral clarity; it's reputational triage, a small surrender offered to avoid a larger one.

Quote Details

TopicLearning from Mistakes
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Gonzales, Alberto. (2026, January 17). I will be the first to admit I am not perfect and I make mistakes. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-will-be-the-first-to-admit-i-am-not-perfect-and-36632/

Chicago Style
Gonzales, Alberto. "I will be the first to admit I am not perfect and I make mistakes." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-will-be-the-first-to-admit-i-am-not-perfect-and-36632/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I will be the first to admit I am not perfect and I make mistakes." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-will-be-the-first-to-admit-i-am-not-perfect-and-36632/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

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I Will Be the First to Admit I Am Not Perfect by Alberto Gonzales
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About the Author

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Alberto Gonzales (born August 4, 1955) is a Public Servant from USA.

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