Daily Inspiration Quote by William Pollard

Pollard is quietly demoting the cult of the pre-decision autopsy. In a clerical world where moral certainty is often treated as the prerequisite for action, he makes a more bracing claim: a decision is not validated at the moment of choosing but in the lived discipline that follows. The line splits the difference between humility and responsibility. You may not have perfect knowledge, you may not have analyzed enough, but you are still on the hook for what happens next.

The rhetorical trick is the pivot from “great” to “good.” “Great decision” reads like status-seeking: the fantasy that wisdom is a spotlight that descends before you act. “Good decision” is grittier and more ethical. It’s measured by implementation, by execution, by the willingness to steward consequences rather than bask in the thrill of selecting a path. Pollard’s subtext feels pastoral: stop waiting for a sign, start practicing fidelity. In religious terms, it’s a version of faith-as-works, translated into everyday governance of the self.

Contextually, a 19th-century clergyman is speaking to an age enthralled by progress, management, and self-improvement, but also hemmed in by limited information and slower feedback loops. Pollard’s point still lands because it punctures a modern delusion: that with enough research, you can prepay for certainty. He reframes decision-making as a moral craft, where follow-through is the real proof of sincerity.